Extension of Temporary Moratorium on New Data Centers — Urgency Ordinance No. 13-26 N.S.
Summary
SCH Number
2026101044
Public Agency
City of Richmond
Document Title
Extension of Temporary Moratorium on New Data Centers — Urgency Ordinance No. 13-26 N.S.
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
10/27/2026
Document Description
The project is the extension, for an additional 22 months and 15 days through September 15, 2028, of the City of Richmond’s temporary citywide moratorium on the approval or issuance of permits, licenses, and land use entitlements for new data centers. The extension preserves the status quo while the City conducts research, community and stakeholder engagement, and a public planning process to evaluate whether data centers should be permitted within Richmond and, if permitted, what General Plan, zoning, land use, operational, infrastructure, environmental, and public-safety regulations should apply. The beneficiaries are the City of Richmond, its residents, businesses, property owners, and the broader community, who will benefit from a comprehensive and publicly informed evaluation of potential regulations intended to protect public health, safety, and welfare
Contact Information
Name
Avery Stark
Agency Name
City of Richmond
Job Title
Planning Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Lina Velasco
Agency Name
City of Richmond
Job Title
Community Development Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
Richmond
Counties
Contra Costa
Regions
Citywide, San Francisco Bay Area
Other Information
CITY WIDE
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
15060(c)(2)(3); 15061(b)(3); 15064(d); 1537(a); 15378(a))
Reasons for Exemption
The ordinance extension preserves the status quo and does not authorize or approve any physical development. It will not cause a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Accordingly, the action does not constitute a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines sections 15060(c)(2)–(3), 15064(d)(3), and 15378. Even if the action were considered a project, it is exempt under the common-sense exemption in CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3), because it can be seen with certainty that extending a temporary moratorium that authorizes no development has no possibility of causing a significant effect on the environment.
County Clerk
Contra Costa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.