New Braunfels City Council approved the first reading of a data-center zoning amendment on Nov. 9.
The proposed restrictions would require at least 100 acres for a data center and limit its building to one story and 15 feet tall; council has scheduled a final reading for Nov. 16.
From the source record
Council approved the first reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 144 to regulate data centers.New Braunfels City Council verified meeting outcome ↗
A future data-center applicant would need heavy-industrial zoning and a special use permit, with public hearings before a project could receive that permit. Council's first-reading motion also added a setback from residences. Those requirements would govern a future application if the ordinance receives final approval.
How the proposed rule would work
City staff says data centers are not explicitly defined in its zoning ordinance and are currently allowed in M-2 and M-2A districts, or with a special use permit in M-1 and M-1A districts. The amendment would narrow the path to M-2 or M-2A zoning plus a Type 2 special use permit. Zoning alone would no longer approve a data center.
The draft also calls for utility zero-impact letters, a baseline noise study, a traffic analysis, and a site plan with building elevations. Its other proposed standards address screening, aquifer and flood conditions, fault lines, fuel containment, emergency planning and decommissioning. These are requirements an applicant would have to address; the first-reading vote did not approve a data-center project.
The next decision
The council is scheduled to consider a second and final reading on Nov. 16. Residents can inspect the final-reading file to compare the proposed ordinance with the first-reading changes. The adopted text, if council approves one, will establish the rule that future applications must meet.