By TRD staff :  therealdeal – excerpt

Electricity and water requirements prompt council vote for temporary ban

Oakley, a city in Contra Costa County, has become the first municipality in the Bay Area city to impose a temporary ban on new data centers.

The Oakley City Council’s unanimous vote for a 45‑day moratorium halts all new land‑use applications for data centers, giving officials time to evaluate their long‑term impact, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The ban can be extended in phases for up to two years, allowing the city to craft zoning and environmental rules before the next wave of proposals arrives.

City Attorney Derek Cole said the measure will allow Oakley to “study, deliberate and determine the acceptable scope” of future development. The move follows public opposition to the Bridgehead Industrial Project, where developer JB2 Partners withdrew plans for a data center near Highway 160 after residents raised concerns about power and water consumption.

Council Member Shannon Shaw emphasized the need for a deliberate approach, noting that the city wants to “do it right” before committing to large‑scale infrastructure…(more)