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RiversideCA.gov
1 Land Use Committee
November 13, 2026
Data Centers
COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
RiversideCA.gov
2 DATA CENTERS
• Land Use Committee discussed prohibition of Data
Center as a Land Use on September 14, 2026. • Alternatively, Councilmember Robillard introduced an AI Working Group to discuss this and other topics on during the September 15, 2026, City Council Meeting. • To get some clarity on policy direction, staff reached out to members of the Land Use Committee to request this
topic be discussed.
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3 DATA CENTERS
To achieve policy level clarity on the Data Center topic, staff reached out to members of the Land Use Committee
to request this topic be discussed at a Special Meeting of the Land Use Committee. The Special Meeting was due to a holiday closure.
RiversideCA.gov
4 DATA CENTERS
Recently, cities have been taking actions to:
Institute Temporary Moratoriums
Extend Initial Moratoriums to longer terms.
Amending their Zoning Codes
Adopting data center prohibitions
And finally, taking the Data Center
development to the ballot via initiative
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5 DATA CENTERS
City Action Taken
Adopted an official ordinance in September 2026 prohibiting new data centers within city limits over infrastructure and resource concerns.
Calexico
Adopted a permanent, citywide prohibition on large-scale data centers (Ordinance 1231) on August 26, following a previous temporary pause.
Normal accessory server rooms and IT equipment remain exempt.
Coachella
Extended its–temporary data center moratorium for a nearly two-year duration to evaluate comprehensive land-use, environmental, and utility standards. Extended Moratorium to 2028
Desert Hot Springs
Adopted a 45-day interim urgency moratorium on March 18 (Urgency Ordinance No. 3063), which was subsequently extended for an additional 10 months and 15 days through February 2027
El Monte
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6 DATA CENTERS
City Action Taken
Instructed Staff to begin drafting formal regulation and a City-wide Moratorium.
Fresno
Unanimously adopted an ordinance extending its moratorium through January 2027 and placed a permanent citywide prohibition measure on the ballot. The ban was approved by voters in June 2026.
Monterey Park
Passed a 45-day temporary moratorium on new data center development.
Oakland
Approved a 45-day temporary urgency moratorium on August 26, to study zoning definitions and code updates regarding new data centers.
Palm Springs
Approved a 45-day temporary urgency moratorium on new data center construction and approvals.
San Francisco
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7 DATA CENTERS
City Planning staff continues to use the default provision within
19.110.020 (Permitted Land Uses). That section is as follows:
Uses not listed in the tables are prohibited unless, the Community & Economic Development Director or his/her designee, pursuant to Chapter 19.060 (Interpretation of Code), determines that the use is similar to and no more detrimental than a listed permitted or conditional use.
RiversideCA.gov
8 Staff recommends that the Land Use Committee
review and discuss Data Centers and provide
direction on future action.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION