Fresno City Council member Nick Richardson is moving to place a citywide prohibition on data centers, including facilities built to train and deploy artificial intelligence. In a resolution set for the council’s consent calendar on Sept. 3, Richardson directs staff to draft an amendment to the Development Code that would define data centers and bar their construction throughout Fresno for an initial ten‑year period, after which the ban would become permanent unless a future council vote changes it.
Water scarcity drives the proposal
Richardson, who represents northeast Fresno, said his primary motivation is the valley’s hard‑access water situation. “I have never thought that having one here in the valley is a good idea, primarily based on hard access to water,” he told reporters. He added, “The last thing we need is a business disproportionately taking more than it’s contributing to the community.”
Closing a planning loophole
The measure aims to remove the Planning Director’s discretionary authority to approve data centers under the current code. Planning Director Jennifer Clark has told commissioners that the existing code does not allow such facilities, but the resolution notes a loophole that could let the director deem a data center an allowable use. Richardson said, “There is a portion in there that says at the planning director’s discretion, the planning director can decide to allow a use that is not otherwise used.”
The resolution was drafted with assistance from the City Attorney’s office and would require several steps before becoming law: council approval, review by the airport land‑use commission, a hearing before the planning commission, and a final council vote.
Related development plans
The proposal follows a recent Planning Commission vote to advance the Southeast Development Area (SEDA) plan, which Councilmember Miguel Arias warned could become a vehicle for bringing data centers to Fresno. A workshop scheduled for next Thursday will also discuss the unreleased financial plan for the first phase of SEDA, which currently faces more than $400 million in funding shortfalls.
Mayor Tom Dyer was not immediately available for comment.
Original reporting: Fresnoland — read the source article.
