San Jose could hit the brakes on data center projects

San Jose is considering a temporary pause on data center projects before development standards to guide limits on water use and other environmental impacts are finalized in December. Mayor Matt Mahan and Councilmembers Pamela Campos, David Cohen, Peter Ortiz and Domingo Candelas on Thursday announced a proposal to halt land use approvals for data centers, putting a pause on any related projects before the City Council votes on uniform standards on Dec. 8. This move comes after San José Spotlight reported that Google’s data center in Alviso could be approved ahead of the standards. The project located at 5087 Disk Drive would require 250 megawatts — enough to power 250,000 households. “After many months of community engagement and research, we are preparing to vote on the strictest proposed regulations for data centers in the country, which include requirements for 100% clean energy, closed loop water systems, union labor, monitoring and enforcement of noise restrictions, and bans on ND