New Braunfels has drafted rules that would require data centers in industrial districts to obtain a Type 2 special use permit and meet new setback and resource documentation standards.
The draft's 500-foot setback would affect residents near potential data center sites if adopted. The proposed distance applies to residential and specified sensitive uses; a separate 50-foot setback would apply to other districts or uses. The proposal also calls for a 50-foot landscaped buffer and a 55-decibel maximum at sensitive property lines.
A permit before construction
The document is draft code language attached to the Oct. 19 special City Council meeting. It would allow data centers, including cryptocurrency mining facilities, through a Type 2 special use permit in the M-1, M-1A, M-2 and M-2A industrial districts. Under the draft, council approval of that permit would precede a building permit. These are proposed standards, not an adopted rule.
An applicant would have to submit projected daily water use, cooling and conservation information, generator details, utility approval letters addressing demand and capacity, a phased site plan, elevations, a traffic impact analysis and a noise study by a qualified professional. Those requirements would give council information about service demand and nearby impacts when reviewing a permit application.