Lubbockâs Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to submit 12 proposed regulations for data centers to the city council for consideration Thursday evening.
The commission only makes the recommendation while the city council has the authority to approve the regulations.
The Unified Development Code (UDC) amendment recommendations included restrictions on water consumption, site location, power usage, and noise levels for large-scale data centers and power generation, transmission, and distribution.
Under the proposed rules, data centers would be required to minimize water use and the need for continuous water withdrawals from public water.
The city council would determine a water-use fee and could obtain an air-quality compliance report on request.
Data center permit application processes would require studies by licensed engineers of water consumption and power generation, a detailed site plan, and a decommissioning plan.
Noise levels could not exceed 57 decibels, and low-frequency noise could not exceed 10 hertz. The data centers must show a plan demonstrating methods of achieving these sound goals.
Routine generator exercise and maintenance would be restricted to Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Minimum distancing from a district other than those defined as General or Light Industrial would be 300 feet, or 500 feet for onsite generation structures.
Data center property would need a six-foot berm around the perimeter or a seven-foot solid screening fence around buildings and power generation structures.
A minimum of four canopy trees would need to be placed along the perimeter or around all structures every 100 feet.
The council expects to consider the recommended regulations in its December 1 meeting.
The staff-recommended regulations come amid scrutiny of data centers in Texas, especially concerning their water and power consumption.
More than half of Texans oppose data centers according to a recent poll.
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a comprehensive audit of all data centers advancing through the interconnection process before additional projects are approved.
