Alderman urges public to attend Monday planning hearing on data-center regulations, criticizes approval process

Alderman Sun Yee urged residents to attend a special planning commission hearing on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Room to review recommendations on data-center regulations and to offer public feedback before a potential vote. Sun Yee said the planning commission session is the committee's "final round of feedback before a potential vote."

Sun Yee criticized the approval process for recent data-center projects as lacking transparency and accountability, saying notice of an earlier hearing arrived late and that local elected officials had limited or no role in approvals conducted by other boards. "I was at 09:51 a.m., I got an email from the mayor's office telling me that there was going to be a hearing at 01:45 p.m., for the data center approval," Sun Yee said as an example of limited notice. Sun Yee added that the board that approved the project (the Board of Public Service is cited by the speaker) is majority appointed by the mayor and therefore outside this committee's direct voting role.

Sun Yee encouraged residents and stakeholders to attend Monday's meeting in the Kennedy Room to raise concerns and provide feedback on any recommended changes to data-center approval rules; Sun Yee also warned that even if the committee members changed, projects could still be approved through those other boards. An appeal has been filed on a recent data-center approval, Sun Yee said, but did not provide further details in this transcript.

No formal action on data-center regulations was taken at this session; the item was an announcement and a call for public participation.