Boise Mayor Proposes 100,000-Square-Foot Cap on New Data Centers

Mayor Lauren McLean will present an emergency ordinance to the Boise City Council on Tuesday that imposes a temporary ban on new data centers exceeding 100,000 square feet or consuming more than 20 megawatts of power annually.

The proposal seeks to pause development for facilities that meet either the size threshold or the energy usage limit. The measure is designed to address what city officials describe as intense environmental and community impacts associated with these large-scale computing hubs.

City of Boise Municipal Attorney Ed Jewell outlined the rationale for the ban in a memo to the council. Jewell noted that these facilities are heavy consumers of electricity and water and emit noise and heat around the clock. He also pointed out that they require large backup power generation systems and can disrupt interconnected mobility networks.

Jewell’s memo cites additional justifications, including pollutants that the city’s wastewater system is not equipped to treat. The document also flags current fee schedules that do not account for this type of usage, as well as power backup systems that can emit greenhouse gases and noise.

Currently, no active data center applications in Boise fit the new definition. ValorC3 Data Centers is expanding an existing 38,000-square-foot facility on Emerald Street next to Boise City Hall West by 31,000 square feet. The combined operation pulls 12 megawatts of power, which falls below the proposed cap. Because these projects were permitted before the moratorium was proposed, they would remain unaffected by the new rules.

Beyond Boise, data center proposals are appearing across the region. A 4-million-square-foot facility is proposed on Bureau of Land Management land along the Ada County and Elmore County line. In Pocatello, a large data center proposal was rejected, but the applicant’s attorney argues the city’s conditional use permit lacks specific provisions for data centers. A court challenge to that denial is expected.

Mayor McLean stated that she is using an emergency brake to protect Boiseans and natural resources in the absence of a state-wide moratorium. She said, “These mega data centers don’t belong anywhere in Idaho, and in the absence of a state-wide moratorium, I’m pulling the emergency brake to protect Boiseans and our precious natural resources.”

The city continues to support the expansion of Micron Technology’s Boise chipmaking operation. According to a document filed with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, Micron’s power needs will grow from 20 megawatts to 495 megawatts by 2030. This increase of 465 megawatts is more than 23 times the city’s proposed cap on new data center power draw.

In a statement, McLean emphasized that data centers are often built and operated by out-of-state firms. She said, “Idaho has long seen outsiders try to extract wealth from our land and natural resources at the expense of our people and our environment.” She added that the city has an obligation to protect what makes Boise special for current and future residents.

National polling data suggests data centers are becoming a major political issue. An exit poll survey of 81,290 voters by SSRS found that more than 20% of voters said AI and data centers were crucial to their vote. In Idaho, Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, has called data centers “espionage on our citizens” and warned of “serious trouble” brewing in the industry.

The Boise City Council is scheduled to vote on the proposed ban during its meeting on Tuesday, November 10. If enacted, the moratorium would last for six months. It uses a provision in Idaho State Code that allows for bans on certain types of development when there is imminent peril to public health, safety, and welfare. Idaho caps moratoriums at 182 days and prevents direct extensions. A new moratorium cannot be set until a year has passed after the previous one expires. The city last enacted a moratorium in 2018 to save a historic home near St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center.