Gilroy City Council takes action on immigration and data center moratoriums

The Gilroy City Council has taken several legislative steps to address community concerns regarding immigration facilities and data center developments. The Council unanimously adopted an urgency ordinance prohibiting the development of detention and custodial facilities, including immigration facilities, within the city limits. This follows resident concerns regarding a proposed immigration facility located just outside the city. Additionally, the Council has extended a temporary moratorium on new data center projects for an additional 10 months, setting an expiration date of September 3, 2027.

The extension of the data center ban is intended to allow city staff to establish objective zoning, development, and operational standards. City Administrator Matt Morley stated that the goal is to protect public health, infrastructure, and quality of life by addressing potential impacts such as electricity demand, water usage, noise, traffic, and generator emissions. The city aims to have draft standards ready for review before the moratorium expires.