Indio’s City Council voted unanimously October 7 to extend its pause on new data-center projects through October 16, 2027, according to Harrison Bluto’s reporting for NBC Palm Springs and Alicia Ramirez’s account for The Riverside Record.
The extension gives the city more time to write lasting rules for facilities that can require substantial electricity, cooling and land. Indio has not adopted the permanent ban recommended by its Planning Commission. The October 7 decision extends the temporary restriction while that work continues.
The council’s decision also means the moratorium did not expire on October 16, 2026, as it otherwise would have. The city’s October 7 staff report and proposed ordinance specify an October 16, 2027 end date, unless council ends the pause earlier or replacement regulations take effect. The signed adopted ordinance and certified minutes have not been independently reviewed by AICV News; the reported vote outcome is attributed to those local newsrooms, not to firsthand examination of the council’s final instrument.
What stays on hold
The temporary rule prevents the city from accepting as complete, processing or approving permits to create a data center, turn an existing building into one or expand an existing facility.
Its definition includes facilities for AI computing, cloud services and cryptocurrency mining. The ordinance also retains exemptions and protections described in the original moratorium. As NBC Palm Springs reported, ordinary server rooms serving schools, hospitals and businesses are not covered.
This is a pause on applications and approvals for defined data-center uses, not a ban on businesses using AI.
Why another year?
The Planning Commission recommended a permanent ban June 24. The Sustainability Commission subsequently supported that recommendation in a letter, according to the city’s staff report. Staff are preparing changes to Indio’s development code for mixed-use, non-residential and public institutional zones.
The harder problem is the city’s many specific plans: separate land-use rules for particular developments or neighborhoods. In The Riverside Record’s account of the October 7 meeting, City Attorney Steven Pacifico explained that staff also want to amend those plans so a permanent prohibition cannot be sidestepped through an older, conflicting zoning document. That process involves tribal consultation, the outlet reported.
The extension is the second and final one contemplated in the city’s proposed ordinance under California Government Code section 65858. A permanent ban would require a separate process and decision. The staff report anticipated future Planning Commission and City Council consideration, but gave no adopted final ordinance or confirmed hearing date.
Update, October 26: This account replaces our pre-hearing opening with the October 7 outcome reported by NBC Palm Springs, The Riverside Record and City News Service. The October 5 reporting remains part of the record. We have not independently reviewed a signed adopted ordinance or certified minutes.