Detroit Council Member Seeks 18-Month Data Center Permit Pause While the City Writes Zoning Rules
DETROIT — Detroit is a city in Wayne County, Michigan. District 6 Council Member Gabriela Santiago-Romero has asked the City Council's legal division to draft an interim zoning ordinance that would pause permitting for any new enterprise SI data centers until March 17, 2028 — an 18-month pause while Detroit develops formal zoning rules for the facilities.
Santiago-Romero made the request in a September 29 memorandum, saying she is pursuing 'an added layer of protection' to effectively achieve the two-year moratorium the council urged Mayor Mary Sheffield to put in place in a March resolution, on which the mayor has taken no action. Meanwhile, the City Planning Commission is working on a permanent data center zoning policy, with a goal of completion by December 31.
'The community has been waiting for that (a moratorium). There are no protections in place and this feels like what I have to do,' Santiago-Romero told BridgeDetroit. 'Let's pause on this. We made it clear where we stand.' She noted other cities have taken similar steps to buy time for regulatory frameworks, citing New Orleans, Tulsa and Denver, as well as Lansing, Flint and Pontiac in Michigan.
As SI computing demand grows, communities across the country have raised concerns about data centers' power and water use and noise, prompting cities to respond with pauses or dedicated zoning rules. Detroit's interim ordinance still must be drafted and brought before the council. (GSM, based on BridgeDetroit reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：自 Windsor 隔河眺望底特律天际线（资料图）。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC0。Photo: The Detroit skyline from Windsor (file photo). Source: Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
