New Reno data-center rules could reshape city
- The Reno City Council voted unanimously on April 22 to start rewriting the city’s data-center rules and directed staff to prepare a future special meeting on a possible moratorium. - City staff said Reno has reviewed four data-center projects so far, while more than 150 public comments pressed for tighter rules over water, power, noise and neighborhood impacts. - The move reopens a policy the city set in January 2025, when Reno first added data centers to its zoning code and required conditional-use permits. (reno.gov)
Reno just reopened its data-center rulebook. On April 22, the City Council voted unanimously to start rewriting how these projects are reviewed and where they fit. (reno.gov) (kunr.org) The vote launched a text amendment to Title 18, Reno’s land-development code. City staff will now draft updated standards for data-center uses and bring them back through public review, the Planning Commission and the council. (reno.gov) Councilmember Devon Reese also asked staff to bring back a vote on a possible moratorium on new data-center approvals at a future special meeting. That pause was not adopted on April 22, but the council said it will be discussed separately. (mynews4.com) (kunr.org) The immediate trigger is growth. Reno says it has already reviewed four data-center projects, each with different utility needs but similar land-use questions. (reno.gov) (thisisreno.com) The fight is really about infrastructure. Staff and residents pointed to power demand, water use, fire-safety issues and whether large server buildings belong near homes and schools. (thisisreno.com) (kunr.org) More than 150 public comments were submitted before the vote, and Earth Day testimony filled City Hall. Speakers asked for more notice to neighbors, more disclosure about impacts, and in some cases an outright ban. (kunr.org) Supporters of the industry argue the water picture is more mixed than critics suggest. News 4 reported that the proposed Oppidan project in the North Valleys is expected to use 8 acre-feet of water a year, compared with 23 acre-feet for an affordable-housing complex and 25 acre-feet for a skilled-nursing facility, according to the developer’s lawyer. (mynews4.com) Reno is not starting from zero. In January 2025, the city formally added data centers as a land use and required conditional-use permits with initial standards such as parking, screening and other site rules. (reno.gov) (thisisreno.com) What changes next is likely to extend beyond Reno’s city limits. The city said staff will work with the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency, Washoe County and Sparks on a more consistent regional framework for projects chasing northern Nevada land, tax incentives and cooler climate. (reno.gov) For now, the council has not banned new data centers. It has started a rewrite that could decide how much water, power and neighborhood conflict Reno is willing to absorb as more projects arrive. (reno.gov) (mynews4.com)
