Minneapolis City Council Limits Size and Location of Data Centers
What happened
The Minneapolis City Council passed new zoning regulations on November 12, 2026, limiting the size of new data centers. These regulations also restrict where data centers can be located, requiring them to be within the city's downtown area. While city leaders agreed that data centers must be regulated, they disagreed on the strictness of those rules, with some advocating for a full ban.
From mprnews.org
Why it matters
The regulations address national concerns regarding the massive utility usage, noise pollution, and secretive deals associated with large data center development. Supporters of the centers argue that they are necessary to support cloud storage and artificial intelligence computing needs, and that they can bring in needed jobs and tax revenue to communities.
From mprnews.org
Who's involved
- MinneapolisThe city governed by the Minneapolis City Council.
- Minneapolis City CouncilThe lawmaking body that passed the new zoning regulations.
- Jacob FreyMayor of Minneapolis.
- Aisha ChughtaiCouncil member of the Minneapolis City Council.
- Ilhan OmarCouncil member representing a district in Minneapolis.
- Jason ChavezCouncil member on the Minneapolis City Council.
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- Hennepin CountySpeculative
Hennepin County might see reduced tax revenue due to municipal zoning limits on data centers.
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The entities involved
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Minneapolis
city in and seat of Hennepin County, and largest city in State of Minnesota, United States
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Minneapolis City Council
lawmaking body of the City of Minneapolis