Pittsburg pledges greater public scrutiny of data centers after backlash

Pittsburg City Manager Darin Gale pledged Monday that future data center proposals will receive public hearings before the Planning Commission and City Council, bypassing zoning administrator approval, in response to public backlash over a data center approved in 2024. The city also plans to form a citizens advisory committee to recommend standards for future data centers. The approved facility, developed by AVAIO Digital on a 76.4-acre site, is expected to create about 30 permanent jobs and bring in approximately $2.36 million annually from property and sales taxes.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...PITTSBURG — Facing mounting opposition to a data center whose first phase the City Council approved in 2024, Pittsburg’s city manager pledged Monday that future data center proposals would receive public hearings before the Planning Commission and council rather than potentially being approved by a zoning administrator. The city has not yet formally changed its rules. Officials also announced plans to form a citizens advisory committee that would recommend standards for future data centers. During an hourslong discussion Monday, Pittsburg City Manager Darin Gale said he will “not allow” any future data center proposals to be approved via zoning administrative approval, a key change in response to public outcry. “We are just taking out the zoning administrator step and going directly to planning commission and city council,” Gale told this news organization. The zoning administrator holds public meetings on land use, and decisions are based upon the City Council and Planning Commission’s directions, but at a staff level, said Gale. He also said the decision of the zoning administrator can be appealed to the Planning Commission and City Council. While an adopted specific plan for the three-phase development at Pittsburg Technology Park allows for zoning administrator approval, Gale said he has heard “loud and clear” from councilmembers and residents their feelings on the issue. “In a discussion, when the time is appropriate, we will update that specific plan with the proper language, so it makes sure it’s absolutely clear,” Gale said Monday night. “But I’m your city manager, and nothing will be coming through the zoning administrator for a data center. It’ll go through the process of the planning commission and a city council hearing.” The data center, which the Pittsburg City Council approved in 2024, will be the first of a three-phase development within Pittsburg Technology Park along West Leland Road. The facility developed by AVAIO Digital will sit on a 76.4- acre site on the eastern half of the former Delta View Golf Course, next to the Contra Costa Canal. City officials previously said that so far, only phase one has been approved, while future phases “may include further approval processes.” During a virtual workshop held July 30, the city said phase one has received all land use approvals, and while preliminary construction plans have been submitted, the city has not issued any permits. According to city officials, ministerial approvals on building and grading permits, among others, remain, and there are additional agreements that still need to be considered by the City Council. Residents have voiced opposition against data centers in the city amid concerns over environmental impacts and resource constraints. They also question the economic benefits such projects would provide and have continued to pressure the city for change. City officials told residents the project would create “approximately” 30 permanent on-site jobs and about 190 regional jobs during its construction. The data center, said officials, could bring in about $2.36 million annually from property and sales taxes. The city also anticipates additional revenue of between $2.5 million and $7 million yearly from energy consumption fees for the facility. On Monday night, dozens of community members packed City Hall and expressed their apprehension over the health effects, such as cancer risks, from diesel generators at the proposed facility and the noise some data centers can make while in operation. Many also urged the city to enact a moratorium https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2026/07/21/pittsburg-residents-voice-opposition-to-approved-data-center/ on future phases at the Pittsburg Technology Park. Supporters, mostly consisting of union workers from Contra Costa County, said the project creates jobs, apprenticeship opportunities, and economic benefits. Some said it also allows members to spend more time with their families instead of commuting all over the Bay Area for work. Along with proposal changes, city officials also announced the formation of a citizens advisory committee through the city manager’s office, consisting of two councilmembers and between 10 and 20 community members that will create a “white paper” based on recommendations for data centers and establish standards for future facilities. Gale said the two-pronged committee will incorporate recommendations that can be included in agreements for phases of the project that still need approval from the city. “The idea is that we would bring forward a white paper that was approved and put together by that group and bring it back to the city council as a framework,” said Gale. “But I want to be clear, it’s going to be used definitely for phases two and three, but whatever we can do to include in phase one, we want to do that too.” Councilmember Juan Antonio Banales said the City Council never intended to do harm to the community when it approved the data center in 2024. “That is the last thing that we want to do, and so, I ask that you give us the benefit of the doubt, and that you allow us the room here to work with you and have a dialogue and engage with our community through this process,” said Banales. “I think we have a lot on the table in terms of the existing project phase one, two and three.” Banales and fellow Councilmember Jelani Killings visited several data centers in Santa Clara to understand how the facilities have changed since Pittsburg approved its own project, said Banales. “We stood across the street from it. You could not hear this data center, and so that was really reassuring to me, because I was really concerned when a lot of residents have come forward and said, ‘Look, this is what I’m concerned with. Texas, Michigan, like these noises are what I’m concerned with,’” he said. “So we went out there, visited, and can reassure you. We are not going to hear this thing.” City officials said a comprehensive noise study was done and established that the noise emitted from the data center must be under the threshold of 65 decibels. Vice Mayor Angelica Lopez said the project was “eight years” in the making and many agencies have been involved along the way, but it lacked a “key ingredient,, which was the community’s trust. “And community trust is important to be able to move forward. I’m a firm believer that trust should never be freely given; it needs to be earned, so at this point, I would call for a citizens advisory committee,” she said.