Selma Adopts New Rules Governing Data Centers

SELMA — The Selma Town Council has approved its first specific development regulations for data centers, one month after delaying action on the proposal amid calls for tighter restrictions.

Council members unanimously approved the ordinance Oct. 6.

The regulations address electrical demand, cooling systems, noise, landscaping, utility improvements and what happens if a data center eventually closes.

Electrical Demands
Any proposed data center would have to complete an electrical load study showing anticipated demand during both summer and winter peak periods.

The developer must also provide written verification that existing electrical supply lines and substations have enough capacity to serve the project at peak operating levels while continuing to serve other electric customers.

The ordinance also gives Selma the ability to approve or deny electrical service administratively based on whether serving the project is feasible for the Town’s electrical grid.

Any utility infrastructure upgrades needed to accommodate a data center would be paid for entirely by the applicant.

Electric rates would be based on Selma’s existing fee schedule.

Cooling Restrictions
Groundwater could not be used to cool a data center.

Instead, the facility would have to use either a geothermal closed-loop system or reclaimed water.

Developers would also be required to complete a water and sewer study detailing anticipated demand and determining what infrastructure would be needed and the potential long-term impact on the utility system.

Facilities would also have to follow federal health standards.

Noise Standards
Noise was among the issues raised as the Town developed the new regulations.

A developer would be required to submit a noise study before a Town Council decision and another study one year after receiving a certificate of occupancy.

The final ordinance allows an acceptable noise level between 55 and 80 decibels to be established as a condition of the Special Use Permit.

Rooftop equipment would have to include sound-reducing technology and be screened from public streets.

Screening And Renewable Energy
Mechanical equipment located outside a building would have to be screened from public roads and residential properties.

The ordinance also requires a landscape buffer around the property.

Data centers providing some of their annual energy needs through on-site renewable generation or energy storage could qualify for development incentives.

A project supplying 25 percent of its energy through those sources could qualify for a maximum building height of 70 feet and reduced landscaping requirements next to business or industrial property.

At 50 percent renewable energy or storage, the maximum building height could increase to 75 feet along with additional landscaping adjustments.

Closing A Data Center
The ordinance also attempts to protect the Town if a data center is eventually abandoned.

Before receiving zoning compliance approval, a developer would have to provide a certified estimate of what it would cost to decommission the facility and provide a financial guarantee.

If a facility is abandoned, the owner would be required to notify the Selma Planning Department and remediate hazardous materials within 12 months of the final day of operation.