Indio planning commission votes unanimously to recommend City Council ban data centers

The Indio Planning Commission voted unanimously on June 24 to recommend that the Indio City Council adopt a permanent ban on data centers within city limits, after staff presented research on resource demands and public commenters urged firm limits.

Staff presented background on a 45‑day moratorium the City Council approved June 3 to pause new data‑center applications while the city studies whether code or general‑plan changes are needed. Brian Halverson, Director of Community Development, told commissioners the city’s zoning code and general plan do not currently define "data center," and that staff will analyze potential general‑plan language, code changes, and development standards during the moratorium.

Principal Planner Gustavo Gomez summarized industry types and impacts. He described three facility classes—enterprise, colocation and hyperscale—saying hyperscale campuses can include multiple buildings and heavy infrastructure needs. Staff cited a water‑use range for hyperscale cooling of roughly 300 million to 1.5 billion gallons per year (about 1–5 million gallons per day) and noted high electricity demand and potential heat‑island effects. Gomez also listed other concerns staff is tracking: noise from fans and backup generators, e‑waste, limited long‑term local employment relative to campus scale, and grid and fire‑safety risks.

Residents and community groups filled the public‑comment period with calls for a ban. "I do not support any alternatives other than a permanent ban," said resident Allison Gerfredo, summarizing worries about water and energy burdens, air and noise pollution, and the desert climate’s vulnerability. Elizabeth Humphre and multiple other speakers warned of heat‑island effects, diesel backup generators, and weak local job creation. Jamie Madden urged commissioners to avoid solutions that simply rely on conditional use permits or development agreements and highlighted a pending water‑rights fight in the Imperial Valley as a cautionary example.

Industry representatives disagreed. Sheree Cabell, speaking for a construction‑industry coalition, said data centers are "critical infrastructure," pointed to smaller non‑hyperscale facilities that have long operated in urban areas, and argued that modern design and behind‑the‑meter power can reduce grid impacts.

After discussion about proposed policy language (staff offered draft language labeled LU10 that would prohibit resource‑intensive uses in workplace/employment districts) and requests for additional study — including adding air quality as an explicit policy consideration and developing numerical thresholds for “high use” projects — a commissioner moved and the commission seconded a recommendation that the council adopt a full ban. The commission adopted the recommendation by roll call, 5–0 (Commissioners Slater, Scarboro Echo, Santos, Vice Chairperson Ortiz and Chairperson France voting yes).

Next steps: staff said it will present the commission’s recommendation and its research to the City Council on July 15; the current moratorium is scheduled to expire July 18, and staff signaled it will seek an extension while the study continues.

What officials said

"This is an opportunity to study and potentially amend our code and general plan," Brian Halverson told the commission, describing a short window in which staff will analyze development standards, performance standards and whether a moratorium extension is needed.

"Hyperscale centers can multiply the intensity of power and water usage," Gustavo Gomez said, noting both the substantial water‑use estimates and that cooling choices trade off between energy and water demand.

Why it matters

Indio lies in the Coachella Valley, a desert region already stressed by heat and constrained water supply. Commissioners and multiple public commenters said local infrastructure limits, the region’s climate and concerns about air and noise pollution make cautious policy appropriate. The recommendation now goes to the City Council, which will decide whether to adopt a permanent prohibition, extend the moratorium, or direct staff to prepare alternative standards or targeted code amendments.

The commission’s action does not itself ban data centers in Indio; it is a formal recommendation to the City Council. The council is scheduled to receive staff’s presentation on July 15 and will need to act to adopt, modify or reject the commission’s recommendation.