Brock MarchantAs conversations about data centers heat up across the state and nation, another northern Utah county has adopted a temporary pause on new facilities.
The Cache County Council passed a 180-day moratorium on data centers late last month.
This means that, for the next six months, the county will not accept or review any data center applications for its unincorporated land.
“Our current county code for zoning, development and construction standards do not contain clear definitions or regulations,” said Brian Abbott, the county’s director of development services. “This will give planning and zoning time to prepare permanent code text amendments.”
He added that the pause will also give the county time to consider if it wants to allow data centers, and what code would be necessary to prohibit them altogether.
Council member Sandi Goodlander said the June 23 action is only precautionary.
“We have not received any interest, that we’re aware of, of somebody wanting to put [in] a data center,” she said. “So this is not in reaction to any kind of inquiry. This is just us trying to get ahead of something that may or may not even come.”
The county’s decision to pause potential development follows a national data center controversy sparked in neighboring Box Elder County earlier this year.
This spring, celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary worked with Utah officials through the state’s quasi-government Military Installation Development Authority to have a data center project area in Box Elder County. The project is proposed to take up some 20,000 acres.
Box Elder County commissioners said they felt pressured to give MIDA the land use authority to preserve the county’s seat at the table and avoid expensive lawsuits over land rights.
The commissioners have since passed a moratorium on new data centers — one that does not impact O’Leary’s Stratos project — but many constituents saw the move as too little, too late.
Two of the three commissioners who made the unanimous decision — Lee Perry and Boyd Bingham — lost primary elections last month. Perry said he believes his vote to turn land use authority over to MIDA cost him the election.
Cache County council members did not take long to discuss their own moratorium before passing it 6-0. Council member Mark Hurd was absent.
The moratorium was effective immediately after it was passed.
Note to readers • This reporting position is a partnership with Utah Public Radio, a division of Utah State University.
I’m Brock Marchant, The Salt Lake Tribune’s Cache Valley reporter in partnership with Utah Public Radio. As a valley native, I’ve seen firsthand the issues that people face everywhere from Richmond to Avon — unaffordable housing, dwindling open space and a rapidly increasing population that has cities struggling to keep up. I want to explore local problems by reporting on the ground, not just quote elected officials and news releases. As residents work diligently to overcome challenges, I want to tell their stories and share their solutions. Smart, hard-working people have built the valley’s history, and I’m certain they will frame its future.
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