Overview
- The Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to impose a temporary moratorium on new or expanded data centers while city staff study their impacts, with reports describing the pause as five or six months.
- The ordinance includes a downtown exception for facilities under 350,000 square feet inside the area bounded by I-35W, I-94, Plymouth Avenue and the Mississippi River.
- The council tasked the Department of Community Planning and Economic Development with a citywide study of water use, electricity demand, noise and neighborhood effects to inform possible new rules.
- The measure now goes to Mayor Jacob Frey for review and could be revisited on Nov. 21, 2026 or sooner if the study finishes earlier.
- The action follows rising local opposition in other Minnesota cities and raises clear trade-offs between protecting utilities and environmental justice on one hand and the risk of lost investment and construction jobs on the other.