The Marshalltown City Council voted last night to approve a four-month moratorium on data center construction, but a developer who was at the meeting vowed to move forward with the process of buying the land for a future data center.
Clayton Ender, Marshalltown’s assistant housing and community development director, says the moratorium is dated from July, so the ban on data center construction would end November 23rd.
“There is a provision included within the ordinance to grant the city council the authority to do a one-time 60-day extension,” Ender says, “if it’s found additional time is needed to study the topic or to process any amendments through the legal process.”
Mayor Mike Ladehoff opened the floor for public comment and the first person to speak was Layne Pieri.
“We need the moratorium in place as soon as possible,” Pieri says. “Right now, the moratorium is not active. Even after a vote, it does not become real until it is printed in a newspaper. Waiving the third reading shortens that gap. It reduces the time where a developer could try to start something and later say they should be grandfathered in.”
Nearly all of the citizens who spoke were in favor of the moratorium and waiving the third reading, which the council voted to do.
(By Zach Tomesch, KFJB, Marshalltown)