Overview
- The City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance that would place a moratorium on new data‑center projects and asked to bring the ordinance back for a vote as soon as next week.
- Hundreds of residents packed a council meeting with more than five hours of public comment opposing the proposal and only the developer speaking in favor.
- The proposal, called the Coachella Valley Technology Campus, is framed in a municipal utility agreement with Stronghold Power Systems that shows the project could grow to about 450 acres with up to six data centers.
- Councilmembers voted unanimously to consider hiring outside legal counsel to review the municipal utility agreement with an estimated cost of $10,000 to $25,000, and city officials say no formal project plans have been filed and an environmental impact report is still required.
- If adopted, the moratorium would pause approvals while the city studies water, air, energy and land‑use impacts and could be the first step toward a broader ordinance limiting or banning data centers in Coachella, a step local residents say is needed to protect community resources.