CHICAGO CITY HALL (WBBM Newsradio) -- Chicago aldermen are now considering competing proposals aimed at slamming the brakes on data centers in the city.
"Data centers can essentially be put anywhere in Chicago," Downtown Ald. Bill Conway said of the city's current lack of regulation dealing with those large-scale computer data storage facilties.
The proposed ordinance he introduced during Wednesday's City Council meeting would classify new data centers as "planned developments" under current city ordinances, which would require companies building them to follow existing rules, including environmental oversight and community input.
"It just makes sure they have to go through a zoning process, a community process, to make sure that use makes sense," said Ald. Conway (34th Ward), who said his proposal would also ban them in "the obvious places."
Asked to elaborate, Ald. Conway described "a small commercial corridor or maybe small artisanal manufacturing districts," as well as the core downtown area.
The second proposal introduced Wednesday by Mayor Brandon Johnson and three of his City Council allies would impose a 12-month moratorium on all data centers ... to give the city time to develop new regulations. It's the latest effort by the Johnson Administration to throttle back on data centers since the mayor signed an executive order on the issue in August.
Ald. Conway said he was concerned that a moratorium would spark a "legal challenge that will take months, if not years, to litigate." By contrast, he suggested his proposal would allow the city to "immediately have oversight on this process."
Thirty-nine data centers are currently operating in the city of Chicago.
Hearings on the proposals have not been scheduled.
Mayor proposed 12-month moratorium; competing proposal would regulate
Mayor proposed 12-month moratorium; competing proposal would regulate
