Broken Arrow City Council
Meeting of: 06-15-2026
Title:
title
Consideration, discussion and possible adoption of Ordinance No. 3929, an ordinance amending Appendix A - Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 6 - Code Administration, by adding a new Division 6-4, Data Center Moratorium; declaring a temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, and issuance of rezoning requests, specific use permits, conditional use permits, site plan reviews, building permits, and other development approvals for data center uses within the corporate limits of the City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; providing a definition of "Data Center"; providing exceptions, grandfathering provisions, and a hardship relief mechanism; providing for appeals; establishing the duration and automatic sunset of the moratorium; providing for severability; repealing all ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith; providing for an effective date and expiration date; and declaring an emergency
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Background:
The City of Broken Arrow's Zoning Ordinance does not currently contain a definition, use classification, or performance standards for data centers. These facilities have unique and significant impacts, including very high electricity consumption, substantial water demand for cooling, noise generation, heavy truck traffic, and increased demands on public infrastructure.
Recent interest in data center development in the Tulsa metro area, including inquiries near Broken Arrow, creates the risk that applications could be submitted and potentially vested before the City completes necessary studies and adopts permanent regulations.
The proposed ordinance adds a new Division 6-4 to Chapter 6 - Code Administration of the Zoning Ordinance. It declares a temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, and approval of rezonings, specific/conditional use permits, site plans, building permits, and other development approvals for data center uses. The ordinance includes:
1. A clear definition of "Data Cente...
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