Data Center moratorium to be considered

During its public meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026, the Broken Arrow City Council will consider a 6-month moratorium on data center proposals.

Following notification that the letter of intent agreement expired between a private property owner and a prospective company for the purchase of 52 acres in east Broken Arrow for the potential development of a data center, City Manager Michael Spurgeon will recommend to City Councilors a moratorium on data center proposals for consideration. If approved, the moratorium would authorize a period of 6 months when land use development applications for the proposed purpose of a data center would not be accepted.

During the moratorium, the city would focus efforts to study data centers, and all potential impacts the facilities can have on communities including, electrical consumption and potential rate impacts on surrounding customers, water demand, noise generation, traffic, any tax exemptions granted at the state level, and any increased demands on public infrastructure. Furthermore, the city's zoning ordinance does not specify a data center as a use. This pause would also provide the Council and Administration an opportunity to review the zoning regulations to best determine the appropriate zoning designation for a data center.

"After careful consideration of what we have learned about data centers over the past 6 to 8 months in other area communities and more specifically the last 45 days, I believe it is appropriate for the City Council to consider this pause at a time when there are no potential projects or applications for a proposed data center project on the table, so we can learn as much as possible about the potential impacts and review our zoning ordinance," said City Manager Michael Spurgeon. "We know there are data centers for many different uses and are built to very different specifications. These differences make it challenging to truly understand the impacts data centers could have on our community's resources."

If approved, the moratorium would be effective immediately and scheduled to expire in 6 months, unless extended by the City Council.

The meeting on June 15 will be held in Council Chambers at Broken Arrow City Hall at 6:30 p.m. A live stream will be available on the city website.