Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, District 4
Supervisor Noelia Corzo, District 2
Subject: Resolution Directing Staff to Develop Zoning Regulations for Data Centers
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution directing Planning and Building Department staff to work with the County Executive’s Office and County Attorney’s Office to consider and prepare appropriate amendments to the County’s Zoning Regulations, including a potential Countywide ban, on new data center construction within the unincorporated area of San Mateo County.
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BACKGROUND:
The recent acceleration in the deployment and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has resulted in a corresponding surge in the construction of the large-scale data centers required to power AI technology. As more data centers are constructed, the public has grown increasingly aware of the potential negative public impacts of this resource-intensive use of land.
Recognizing their potential negative public impacts, the State recently enacted several laws regulating the construction and operation of data centers, including laws requiring data center projects to disclose and report water usage (AB 2619, AB 2469) and ensuring that the construction of new data centers is subject to environmental review (SB 887).
Separate from this State regulation, the County is authorized to adopt ordinances that, among other things, regulate the use of buildings, structures, and land to ensure compatibility between land uses, protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare, address infrastructure limitations and public service capacities, preserve natural, scenic, and agricultural resources, and other purposes. Pursuant to this authority, the County has the power to regulate, restrict, and/or prohibit data centers within the unincorporated area of San Mateo County.
DISCUSSION:
The construction and operation of AI-...
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