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HARLINGEN — Citing the need for “absolute certainty” before allowing something that nobody has asked to build, Harlingen commissioners voted this week to extend the city’s 120-day moratorium on data centers by another 60 days, through December 2026, so an engineering firm can continue studying whether data centers are, in fact, still data centers.
“When we started this study, a data center was a data center,” said interim Assistant Director of Conceptual Verification Roland Peña. “But 120 days is a long time. We now need to confirm the data centers of today are the same data centers we banned yesterday. Otherwise, what are we even pausing?”
The engineering firm, which was hired to study impacts on water, sewer, electrical systems, and the environment, has so far produced a 400-page preliminary document that defines “center,” defines “data,” and requests an additional 60 days to define “of.”
Zero Applications Prompt Aggressive Reclassification
Complicating the study, commissioners also moved to reclassify data centers as heavy industrial uses, a zoning category officials admit applies exclusively to facilities that do not exist within Harlingen city limits.
“There are currently zero data center proposals in Harlingen,” said Commissioner Dora Salinas-Watson. “Which is exactly why we must act decisively. You don’t wait until there’s a fire to buy a hose. You buy the hose, then you study whether hoses are hoses, then you extend the hose study.”
City staff confirmed the moratorium extension will remain in effect until the engineering study concludes, which is scheduled to happen shortly after the study of the study concludes, which is scheduled to begin once the moratorium on studying the study expires.
Residents React To Pause On Nothing
At a public comment session held inside a portable building behind City Hall, several Harlingen residents expressed relief that the city was protecting them from something.
“I don’t know what a data center is, but I’m glad it can’t move next to my house,” said one attendee, who declined to give his name because he wasn’t sure he was still himself. “Honestly, more cities should pause things preemptively. McAllen should pause blizzards. Brownsville should pause volcanoes.”
Officials estimate the extended study will cost the city $180,000, plus a $45,000 supplemental fee to determine whether the $180,000 is still money. A final report is expected in December 2026, or whenever a data center applies, whichever never comes first.
FAQ
Q: Are there any data centers currently proposed in Harlingen?
A: No. There are zero, which city officials describe as “a worst-case scenario that justifies maximum vigilance.”
Q: What happens when the study ends?
A: The city will implement new zoning standards for data centers, pending a follow-up study confirming the study ended.
