Concerned citizens packed Reno City Hall on Earth Day to weigh in on agenda item C1, a proposal to update development rules for data centers – and potentially create a regional approach with neighboring jurisdictions.
More than 150 public comments were submitted. Many focused on the large amounts of water and power data centers use, and shared concerns about potential noise, water and air pollution.
Tara de Queiroz said she was surprised by the Centra data center being built near her neighborhood off Keystone Avenue.
“Despite being a neighbor, I had no warning about the project and have received no information about impacts to air, water and noise pollution, which are going to impact my neighborhood as well as Reno High School,” said de Queiroz.
Many community members called for more transparency around data center development. De Queiroz urged the city to consider a ban on them.
“As one of the fastest-warming cities in the driest state in the nation, we can’t afford to sell off our quality of life to make tech companies rich,” de Queiroz said. “We should follow the lead of other communities that have decided to permanently ban data centers.”
Developers in Nevada have already built dozens of these high-capacity computing facilities, which power A.I. and cloud storage, sparking community debate.
Environmental groups — including the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter and the Indigenous-led Water over Data Alliance — joined residents in calling for a moratorium, or pause, on new construction of data centers until stricter rules are in place.
The Reno City Council plans to consider the moratorium at a future meeting. In the meantime, the C1 measure to begin updating development and use regulations surrounding data centers passed unanimously.
