Auburn City Council has already called for New York state to put the brakes on new data centers. Tonight council will decide whether to do it themselves.
The council will consider a 12-month moratorium on the approval and construction of new data storage facilities within Auburn, a local measure that would prevent the city from accepting or processing applications while officials study how the rapidly expanding industry should be regulated. The proposal follows a unanimous vote last month supporting a separate one-year statewide moratorium, but that earlier action did not stop data center development within the city.
Thursday’s meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Memorial City Hall. The relatively short formal agenda contains two resolutions, with council also expected to decide whether Auburn should pursue up to $962,500 in state funding toward a $2.75 million overhaul of geothermal heating and cooling systems serving several municipal buildings.
Local moratorium would go further than July vote
The distinction between Thursday’s proposal and the action council took in July is significant.
On July 9, council unanimously approved Resolution 74, urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Responsible Data Center Development Act. That legislation, which passed both houses of the state Legislature in June, calls for a one-year statewide moratorium on construction of new data centers while New York studies potential effects on electric ratepayers, water resources, public health, communities and the environment.
Auburn’s July resolution was essentially a statement of support for action in Albany. It did not enact a moratorium under Auburn’s own land-use authority.
Council Resolution 93, which appears on Thursday’s agenda, would.
If adopted, Auburn would impose its own 12-month moratorium on the approval or construction of data storage facilities within city limits. During that period, applications for those projects could not be accepted or processed by the City Council, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals or another city entity with approval authority.
The move would allow Auburn to establish a pause regardless of what happens with the proposed statewide moratorium.
City officials say the issue is largely one of catching Auburn’s land-use regulations up with an industry that wasn’t contemplated when its existing planning documents were written.
A memorandum from Planning and Economic Development Director Stephen Selvek says Auburn’s 2010 Comprehensive Plan and 2018 zoning code update did not anticipate the emergence or potential impacts of data storage facilities. Under the city’s existing rules, officials say such development could affect infrastructure, the environment, public safety and community character.
The proposed resolution specifically points to the large number of servers housed inside data centers and their demands for electricity, cooling and water, along with potential noise impacts. Auburn is currently developing a new Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan, and officials want to use the moratorium period to evaluate zoning, environmental, economic and public safety questions before deciding what permanent regulations should look like.
The issue has been building over several council meetings rather than appearing suddenly on Thursday’s agenda.
The July 9 statewide resolution cited concerns about increasing electricity demand, water consumption, electronic waste, noise, land use and the relatively small number of permanent jobs generated by data centers. Council members subsequently discussed whether Auburn should adopt its own protections rather than rely exclusively on state action.
The city’s staff recommendation now favors a temporary pause while Auburn determines what regulations are appropriate. There is no direct fiscal impact associated with adopting the moratorium, according to the council memorandum.
Nearly $1 million sought for geothermal project
Council will also consider authorizing an application for a significant state grant tied to upgrades at three historic municipal buildings.
Grant Resolution 94 would allow Auburn to seek funding through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s 2026 Building Cleaner Communities Competition.
NYSERDA has been allocated $25 million for the program, which is intended to support regionally significant all-electric, carbon-neutral and resilient projects. Auburn officials believe the city’s planned modernization of its geothermal heating, cooling and domestic hot water systems qualifies.
The city previously authorized $2.75 million through Bond Ordinance 2 of 2026 for what officials describe as a deep retrofit of systems serving municipal properties at 24 South Street, 46 North Street and 23 Market Street, including City Hall and the city’s police and ambulance headquarters.
According to city documents, the geothermal HVAC and domestic hot water systems serving the buildings have reached the end of their useful lives. The work represents the first phase of what Auburn is calling the Centennial Building Project, a broader effort to improve municipal facilities ahead of a planned centennial celebration in 2030.
Under the NYSERDA program, Auburn could receive grant funding covering 35% of the project’s cost. For the $2.75 million first phase, that translates to a maximum award of $962,500. The application deadline is Aug. 14.
The resolution acknowledges that Auburn does not currently have enough funding to cover the entire first phase and says state assistance is necessary to complete the project. If council approves the measure, the city’s director of capital projects or a designee would be authorized to submit the application. If funding is awarded, the mayor or a designee could execute the grant agreement and the city comptroller could recognize and appropriate the money.
Additional improvements could come later. Auburn’s capital plan identifies upgrades to City Hall’s windows, building envelope and energy-efficient lighting as future projects intended to reduce energy consumption and long-term operating costs.
The three municipal properties are also located within Auburn’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative district, and the resolution notes that the city is considered, in part, a state Potential Environmental Justice Area and disadvantaged community.
Thursday’s business session will also include a public comment period, the city manager’s report and reports from members of council. Council is scheduled to approve minutes from its July 9, July 16 and July 23 meetings before taking up the two resolutions.
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