Rio Communities council debates temporary moratorium on large ‘hyperscale’ developments

Councilors on the City of Rio Communities City Council spent the bulk of their Aug. 10 meeting discussing whether to place a temporary moratorium on large “hyperscale” developments, including data centers and related infrastructure. City staff described a template moratorium and asked council for direction on what to define as restricted uses and how long a pause should last.

Corey, who led the presentation, said the moratorium is intended as a pause to buy time for policymaking: "Hang on. Pause. We're not gonna be accepting any applications as it pertains to these developments that are gonna be large, potentially drains on city resources," he said, urging council to give guidance on definitions and exceptions. Councilors reviewed sample language from Santa Fe, Socorro and Sierra County and discussed how definitions in those templates would translate to Rio Communities.

Several councilors emphasized resource and land-use concerns. Councilor Melendez highlighted energy and environmental risks, saying, "So my concern again is electric power," and urged the council to weigh water and power availability when defining restricted projects. Other members noted that some forms of development—such as smaller commercial projects or projects that do not trigger special-use permits—should be considered differently from large footprint facilities.

Council direction: staff (Corey) said a draft moratorium and proposed definitions would be prepared and delivered with the packet on the Wednesday before the next meeting for council review. Council did not vote on the moratorium at this meeting; members asked for workshops and community input and discussed forming a review committee that would include residents alongside elected officials.