Waite Park Discusses One-Year Moratorium on Data Centers at Work Session

(KNSI) Waite Park officials are moving toward a one-year moratorium on data centers moving to town.

City Administrator Shaunna Johnson laid out the reasoning at Monday’s council work session, telling members the city’s current zoning ordinances simply don’t account for data centers at all. “We felt that it would be proactive for us. While we don’t have anything in the works for any type of data center development, we wanted to look at the ordinances that would be required, or would be good to have in place.”

Johnson told KNSI News that city leaders are concerned about the demand data centers can place on city utilities. “Some of them are high water users. Some of them are very noisy. You know, they fit better in some locations than others.”

Those practical concerns are part of why the city wants time to study the issue before any developer shows up with a proposal in hand. The moratorium, which can last up to one year under state law, is expected to come before the full city council for a formal vote.

The goal is to update zoning ordinances so that if a data center does come calling, the city will have clear answers about where it belongs and where it doesn’t.

Johnson was careful to say the city isn’t opposed to data centers outright, only that it wants to understand the full picture first.
Residents who want to weigh in can contact Waite Park City Hall or attend an upcoming council meeting. The moratorium vote is currently expected in April, with the zoning study to follow.

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