Special Reno City Council Meeting
Monday, June 1, 2026
What Happened
City council held a special meeting June 1, 2026, to hear staff reports and public comment on two major items: a proposed text amendment to regulate data centers (Item B1) and a decision on whether to extend a moratorium on new data center construction (Item C1). The meeting ran several hours with extended public comment periods.
Key Decisions
CONTINUED — Data center text amendment (Item B1) — procedural vote only — Council agreed to hear staff reports first, then public comment, then return for discussion and vote. No vote on the amendment itself taken.
CONTINUED — Data center moratorium extension (Item C1) — no vote taken — Council heard extensive public comment but deferred final decision on whether and how long to extend the existing moratorium that expires December 31, 2026.
Debated But Not Resolved
Data center moratorium timeline — Councilman Reeves wants moratorium extended through the state legislative session (ending in spring) to account for potential state-level changes; Councilwoman Der favors a December 31 deadline to allow legislature to benefit from Reno's regional discussion. Staff offered flexibility: adopt regulations by December with later amendments, or wait until May 2027.
Data center regulation scope — Council agreed regulations must be comprehensive (covering zoning, water, power, collocation, heat mitigation) but disagreed on specific requirements: co-generation systems, underground electrical lines, recycling mandates, tribal consultation rights, and monitoring/enforcement mechanisms all debated without resolution.
Clearing and grading permits — Unresolved whether permits can be issued before conditional use permits are approved; council directed staff to consult city attorneys.
Retroactive application — Clarified new rules will not apply to existing six data centers or entitled projects like Keystone Data Center, but no resolution on whether this creates regulatory gaps.
What to Watch
$20,500,000 — Amazon class action lawsuit settlement for groundwater contamination caused by data center in eastern Oregon — Amazon
Data center text amendment vote — Expected September public review and planning commission feedback. Council vote on specific regulations (zoning category, water/power limits, heat mitigation, recycling requirements) will determine if Reno allows continued data center expansion or imposes significant restrictions.
Moratorium extension decision — Council must decide final timeline before December 31, 2026. Extending beyond that date requires legal action; ending it triggers the new regulations to take effect, assuming council approves them.
Regional coordination — Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency, Washoe County, and City of Sparks are developing unified data center standards. Reno's local rules must integrate with regional policy.
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