San Diego Data Center Moratorium Passes Council Unanimously, 45 Days
San Diego's council ratified Mayor Todd Gloria's Oct. 23 order, but the moratorium has little force over the federal NAVWAR site where a 400 MW data center was floated.
2 min readAI-assisted
Downtown San Diego, where the city council voted for the data center moratorium. The photo does not show the NAVWAR site.
Image: City of San Diego
Source · Image from the City of San Diego website, used for news reporting.
The San Diego City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 27 to back a 45-day data center moratorium on permitting, approval and development within city limits, KPBS reported, citing City News Service.
The council vote on Oct 27 backed a 45-day pause; staff recommendations and a code change follow, KPBS and Times of San Diego report.
Illustration (AI-generated)
The vote ratifies the executive order Mayor Todd Gloria signed on Oct. 23, which Voltgrid News reported earlier. That order came after a local developer, Manchester Financial Group, floated a 400 MW data center on the Navy-owned NAVWAR site in Old Town. The council vote puts the pause on a formal footing with the full council behind it.
"San Diegans were clear, unambiguous and passionate about why data centers don't belong in San Diego," Council President Joe LaCava said, according to KPBS. Councilman Raul Campillo said the costs "dramatically outweigh any benefits in the current environment."
What the 45-Day Moratorium Requires
The pause runs 45 days while city staff develop a framework for data centers, if the city allows them at all. KPBS says the council can extend it for nearly two years; Times of San Diego puts the renewal window at 20 months. Staff have 180 days to bring preliminary recommendations to the mayor and council, guided by a Data Center Stakeholder Working Group, and the city plans to amend its land development code next year, according to the mayor's office.
Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera added amendments to guide that framework. They include notifying the council within seven days of any proposed data center, imposing no costs on residents, requiring union labor under project labor agreements, allowing only clean, renewable energy and setting a minimum distance from schools, parks and child care centers. Times of San Diego reports the full ordinance language still awaits city attorney approval.
Why the Moratorium Has Little Force at NAVWAR
The moratorium has little direct force over the site that triggered it. NAVWAR is federally owned, and Times of San Diego notes the city has no say over federal land use. KPBS calls the measure more symbolic for that site, while several council members said the fight would continue.
Manchester has said nothing is final. Its president and CEO, Ted Eldredge, said in a statement that the data center is one of several ideas for the Old Town campus, alongside retail, commercial, industrial and hospitality uses, a medical center, a university campus, a defense industry campus and a life science facility. KPBS describes the 400 MW concept as the largest data center California would have, but neither report states whether that figure is critical IT load or total utility demand.
For operators, the practical effect is on sites the city does control. The moratorium applies to new data centers, and Times of San Diego notes several already operate in the city, including one on University Avenue in North Park that was permitted like a warehouse.
What Is Not Confirmed Yet
It is not confirmed whether the Navy or Manchester will pursue a data center at NAVWAR, and neither report quotes the Navy. The two outlets also word the maximum extension differently, so the exact limit will depend on the final ordinance text.
