On Tuesday, the Oakley City Council is set to discuss a potential urgency ordinance imposing a temporary moratorium prohibiting data centers.
The urgency ordinance would require a 4/5 vote of the city council and comes after controversy of the Bridgehead Industrial project – a 164-acre site with 10 buildings ranging from 117,180 sf to 936,680 sf. Although data center use was originally proposed in the project, the applicant removed it during the hearing. The council ultimately approved the project in a 4-1 vote with data centers being a prohibited use.
At the March meeting, Councilmember Anissa Williams requested a temporary moratorium on data centers be brought to the city council.
If approved, an urgency ordinance may initially be enacted for a period of up to 45 days
According to the staff report:
State law permits the City to adopt a temporary moratorium ordinance—prohibiting otherwise permitted uses—when those uses conflict with potential land use proposals that the City is considering, studying, or intending to study within a reasonable time. Adoption of such ordinances require a four-fifths vote of the Council. As part of the moratorium ordinance, the Council must find that there is a current and immediate threat to the public health, safety or welfare of City residents.
Data Centers provide the necessary computing hardware—servers, storage systems, and networking equipment—for the digital economy. However, communities nationwide are experiencing the repercussions from accelerating Data Center land uses, including: increased demands for energy and water consumption; increased noise; crime and security issues; diminished air quality; pollution; aesthetic impacts; and decreased property values and quality of life to surrounding neighborhoods.
Existing utility infrastructure, especially in smaller communities, is often unable to support Data Centers’ intensive demand for electricity, water, and sewage systems. Currently, the City of Oakley Municipal Code (“OMC”) does not regulate, nor define, Data Center land uses. By enacting a temporary moratorium, Council and Staff would have the necessary breathing room to study, deliberate, and determine the acceptable scope of Data Center land uses within City limits. Meanwhile, the City shall not receive, accept, process, or approve any Data Center land use application as long as the ordinance is in effect, including any requests to amend an existing P-1 District to add Data Center as an allowable use.
The proposed urgency ordinance will enable Staff to evaluate impacts, gather public input, and ultimately draft zoning regulations that foster economic growth while protecting the City’s residents. Per Government Code section 65858, an urgency ordinance may initially be enacted for a period of up to 45 days. The City Council thereafter may extend the ordinance up to a maximum of two additional times: first, for a period of 10 months and 15 days; and second, for a period of up to one year. In total, the urgency moratorium may last for two years.
As a condition for adoption of the proposed urgency ordinance, the City Manager, or designee, would be required to prepare a report—describing the measures taken to alleviate the condition which led to adoption of the ordinance—for presentation to the City Council no later than ten days prior to its expiration. Staff believes the Planning Commission would be the proper body to prepare a detailed analysis of the issues concerning, and approaches to regulating, Data Center land uses within City limits.
Documents:
- Staff Report: Click Here
- Draft Ordinance: Click Here
If You Go
Oakley City Council Meeting
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
6:30 PM
3231 Main Street, Oakley, California 94561.
Around the web:
- April 11, 2026 – Maine is poised to ban new data centers. These 11 other states tried and failed.
- April 10, 2026 – Data centers are spreading around the country. Now, data-center bans are, too
- April 9, 2026 – Map of California data centers: See where projects are operating or planned near you
- April 9, 2026 – Maine set to become first state with data center ban
- April 1, 2026 – The US Data Center Boom Is Hitting a Transformer Crunch: Almost half of the US data centers planned for this year are expected to be delayed or canceled. One big reason is the shortage of electrical equipment, such as transformers, switchgear and batteries.
Related
- March 23, 2026 – Oakley Looks to Finalize Bridgehead Industrial Project, Council to Talk 5% Pay Raises
- March 11, 2026 – With Data Centers Removed, Oakley Approves Bridgehead Industrial Project
- Jan. 21, 2026 – Split Vote: Oakley Planning Commission Makes Recommendation on Bridgehead Industrial Project
- Dec 13, 2023 – Oakley Receives 3.2 Million Square Feet Bridgehead Industrial Project Application