New rules expand oversight as San Antonio’s data center industry grows – WOAI

New rules expand oversight as San Antonio’s data center industry grows  WOAI

San Antonio is changing the rules for where data centers can be built, with city leaders voting to add new public review and City Council approval requirements as the industry grows and neighborhood concerns mount. City Council approved new regulations that will require proposed data centers to go through a public review process and get council approval. The vote follows months of debate over how San Antonio should handle the expanding data center industry. For years, some data centers could move forward in certain zoning areas without a City Council vote or a public meeting, but that will change under the new rules. Data centers, which support services such as streaming, online banking and artificial intelligence, have become a flashpoint in discussions about jobs, water and energy use, and the impact on nearby communities.

RELATED | San Antonio City Council votes to toughen data center rules amid resident concerns District 6 Councilman Ric Galvan, whose district has many of the city’s data centers, said the new requirements will increase transparency and community involvement. “Every single data center that is proposed to come to San Antonio must come to council, must have a public meeting, must showcase the full site plan, must communicate on emergency plans, and make sure that there is clear coordination with the community and with council on