Mesquite officials are pushing to tighten rules on future data center projects after a fiercely debated proposal on Long Creek Road exposed weak spots in the city’s development playbook. City staff rolled out a draft framework that would force developers to complete technical and noise studies up front, spell out expected demand on utilities and water, and meet stricter site design rules before a project can move forward. City leaders say the goal is to shield neighborhoods and public infrastructure while still keeping the door open to economic investment.
What the draft would require
Under the draft, data centers would face performance standards for electric, water, wastewater, gas, and telecommunications systems, with operational noise capped at 65 decibels and a minimum lot size of five acres. These facilities would be off-limits in residential, agricultural, office, commercial, and mixed-use zoning districts. Developers would also have to submit engineering plans that clearly show how a campus would affect local utilities. The recommendations follow earlier staff briefings and initial feedback from council members and community stakeholders, according to KERA News.
How the debate started
The current push for tighter rules started with a bid to amend an existing industrial planned development on Long Creek Road into a single-building data center. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval of the amendment, but the City Council voted to deny the rezoning at its March 16 meeting, according to the City of Mesquite. That denial, along with later requests for reconsideration, left the Long Creek proposal in limbo while staff began crafting the new standards.
Officials weigh trade-offs
City planning director Adam Bailey told council members the draft framework “supports economic investment while protecting surrounding properties and public infrastructure,” and suggested the council pursue an internal ordinance if members want to pause new data center permits. City Manager Cliff Keheley described the involved developer as “a good actor” who would continue to meet previously discussed standards, while Councilmember B.W. Smith acknowledged that constituent concerns over the Long Creek project had grown heated. Bailey also warned that a formal moratorium in Mesquite could take up to 180 days to become effective, according to KERA News.
What the Long Creek plan proposed
The amendment from SLS Consultants called for swapping one already approved industrial building for a roughly 202,800-square-foot data center with about 48 megawatts of capacity. The plan would allow a 20-foot precast masonry screen wall to wrap mechanical equipment and would reduce parking, reflecting the facility’s relatively low staffing needs. Planning filings describe a single-level data hall and design features intended to limit traffic and visual impacts while using closed-loop mechanical systems to cut down on evaporative cooling. Those details are outlined in the city’s planning record for application Z0126-0434, according to the City of Mesquite.
Local pushback, wider trend
Mesquite’s debate fits into a broader pattern of cities slowing or tightening data center growth as residents and officials question water use, noise, and pressure on electrical systems. Other communities have turned to moratoria or tougher local standards while staff study infrastructure impacts, a trend that has been tracked in recent coverage of local responses around the country. For additional context, Stateline recently examined how several cities are wrestling with similar issues.
Next steps
City staff briefed the council on the draft standards at Monday's meeting and plan to return with a finalized set of recommendations at a future session, according to the city’s meeting agenda. Council members can decide whether to pursue an internal ordinance to pause approvals while the rules are written, although any moratorium or ordinance would have to follow the formal timelines and legal procedures laid out by staff. The refined standards are expected to come back to the council at a later public meeting.
