San Francisco hits pause on data centers

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new data centers, with the pause immediately halting city approvals and directing the Planning Department to study impacts and craft long-term rules; the moratorium can be extended up to 22 months. Authored by District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, the directive requires analysis of energy and water use, air quality, land-use effects, community impacts and a clearer legal definition of data centers. City leaders will review the Planning Department’s findings at a November hearing. The move responds to rapid interest in facilities that power artificial intelligence and to specific project activity in neighborhoods such as Dogpatch, where a waterfront site at 1215 Michigan Street has drawn developer attention.

The measure reflects concentrated local concern about industrialization and public health in southeast neighborhoods: District 10 already contains two of the city’s six data-center sites, and residents and advocates told the Land Use and Transportation Committee that existing facilities worsen local health outcomes. Other Bay Area cities have adopted or are considering similar halts. Walton, who is term-limited, framed the moratorium as a step toward enforceable community benefits, transparency about resource demands and meaningful resident input before approvals proceed.