Dover passes a temporary ban on AI data centers.
Dover City Council is moving forward with an 18-month pause on any AI data center applications within city limits while city council members and staff gather more information on their impacts.
“We are looking at making certain that we have the proper infrastructure here within the city to be able to support data centers and the proposed ordinance is to place an 18-month moratorium on moving forward, as outlined in the first draft.” said Councilwoman Donyale Hall when briefing council on the measure during this week's City Council meeting.
Dover has not yet received any applications to build data centers in the city , but Councilman David Anderson told DPM earlier this year they have received phone calls from data center companies asking about their feasibility.
Other City Council members, like Councilman David Anderson, have been vocal about their support for a data center moratorium, voicing concerns that such a facility could impact already rising energy prices.
Councilman Andre Boggerty also pushed for more community engagement events,
“I believe we will have more participation from our constituents if we can have a town hall meeting that’s probably earlier, I’ll let you all work that out, just centered around data centers specifically. That's just an ask." he said.
Councilman Roy Sudler Jr. also asked Hall if more staff would be needed to conduct the necessary data gathering and research during this 18-month period. Hall says that she's already probing city staff,
"I will be speaking with city staff to find out what the best approach is to make sure we have the best possible approach to modeling this thing and giving the best possible outcomes" she said.
Council passed the moratorium unanimously.
