CITY DEVELOPMENT
The city of San Marcos is going to update its development code, and an item providing standards for new and emerging development types such as data centers brought many people to public comment at Tuesday’s meeting. After moving through several amendments, the council voted to postpone the item for a second time, with Council Members Lorenzo Gonzalez and Matthew Mendoza dissenting.
“This document was prepared quite some time ago,” Mayor Jane Hughson said. “This is the opportunity that we have to change it.”
Hughson made a motion to amend the Land Use Matrix to add a line that addresses data centers and specifies that they must be approved by council and only be allowed in High Industrial Zoning.
“I really don’t want to cut off the option of ever having one, because there may be technological changes in the future that will make this, I’m not going to say, desirable, but will make it less objectionable,” Hughson said. “I would like to keep the option open to be able to do that, but only in Heavy Industrial.”
The motion passed six to one, with Council Member Shane Scott dissenting. Council Member Amanda Rodriguez clarified that she only voted for it “because it looks better than what it did.”
Rodriguez made a motion that data centers not be allowed in any category of the Land Use Matrix.
“I’ve spent the time since the last time we postponed this item, meeting with people, meeting with organizers, time and time again. Even when I thought, ‘Okay, Heavy Industrial only would be sufficient. That was not what people wanted. And I’ve said it before, it is not my job to force feed the people who voted for us something that they don’t want,” Rodriguez said. “So this is just a reflection of their asks and meeting that.”
The motion failed with four dissenting votes from Hughson and Council Members Josh Paselk, Matthew Mendoza and Lorenzo Gonzalez.
Rodriguez moved to amend so that all data center boundaries must be set back 200 feet from the property line and must be 1,000 feet from any of the following: residential, hospital or health facilities with overnight patients, hotel, agriculture, school and daycare facilities.
The motion passed 6 to 1, with Gonzalez casting the dissenting vote.
Rodriguez made a motion to amend to stipulate that no data center can use potable water for cooling purposes, which passed seven to zero.
Hughson asked the council if they would be amenable to an amendment that would block denied applicants from reapplying for a Preferred Scenario Map for at least a year, up from six months. Everyone informally agreed, but no vote was taken. City staff need to find the appropriate place in the code to add this, and council instructed them to do so before the next meeting.
The main agenda item, an update of the City Development Code, will be voted on for the first time at the next meeting, followed by the second and final vote at the meeting after that.
