The proposal followed a successful citizen petition that SAVE Lubbock organized this past summer. Natalie Miller of the North and East Lubbock Coalition said citizens asked for 18 months, then accepted 90 days as a compromise. She hopes council honors that.
Last week, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended specific zoning for AI factories, covering landscaping, setbacks, noise and pollution limits, and decommissioning. Council is scheduled to take up the commission's recommendations for large-scale data centers Dec. 1.
Fabian Mata, a north Lubbock resident, said he does not trust the city to enforce its ordinances. Stephen Sanders of SAVE Lubbock said residents don't want a data center in those communities at all, but if one comes, it needs a 1,000 foot setback. Some residents say the moratorium arrives too late, because the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance already approved a new data center inside city limits. That facility is smaller than the large-scale ones the city is weighing.
Stephanie Smith put the frustration plainly, saying residents had no chance to say no.