Data center zoning amendments (Ordinances 5987 and 5988)

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: two ordinances amending the Unified Development Code for data centers and other resource-intensive uses, up for second reading on 10/20/2026.
Where it stands: both passed second reading on the consent agenda with no opposing votes.
Next: third and final reading; the council also passed a related substitute, Data center development standards ordinance (Ordinance 5986), on the same night.

First reading, 10/8/2026: added to the consent agenda; Ordinance 5987 sponsors were Warren, Canale, Spinosa and Carlisle, and 5988 sponsors were Logan, Cooper-Sutton, Swearengen-Washington, Easter-Thomas and Warren. Easter-Thomas asked to be removed from 5988; Carlisle moved, Green seconded, and the roll call had no opposing votes.
Items 9 and 10 on the consent agenda. Ordinance 5987 lists Councilmembers Warren, Canale, Spinosa, Carlisle and White as sponsors; Ordinance 5988 lists Logan, Cooper-Sutton, Swearengen-Washington, Walker and Warren.
Vice Chair Carlisle moved the consent agenda, Warren seconded; the roll call had no opposing votes. During the later debate members said the substitute for Ordinance 5986 combined earlier data center ordinances.

At the first committee hearing, Alan Wade described Ordinance 5987 as the combined zoning ordinance he drafted from the held proposals; it takes effect on adoption and is later codified in the Unified Development Code. Logan's became Ordinance 5988. Both went to first reading on the consent agenda that afternoon.
Themes: siting away from homes, schools, churches and protected areas; objective, checkable criteria (feasibility, sound and buffer studies, no outside power sources without approval) so the city is not sued; light versus heavy industrial categories with large data centers directed to 12 to 15 heavy industrial areas; special use permits as the fastest route to public hearing; recovery of incremental public costs allowed under state law, but no tax.
Carlisle urged moving to a vote; Cooper-Sutton asked how fast data centers can be moved out of industrial neighborhoods near schools (Wade: not without condemnation; rules apply to new projects).

About 40 minutes across 3 meetings (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

2026-10-08 - Planning & Zoning (2) — Committee hearing No. 1: Wade's combined zoning ordinance, siting and objective criteria, numbers assigned; no vote.
2026-10-20 - Memphis City Council — Passed second reading on the consent agenda, no opposing votes.
2026-10-08 - Memphis City Council — First reading on the consent agenda; Easter-Thomas was removed as co-sponsor of 5988; no opposing votes.
2026-10-22 - Page created from a posted agenda; no meeting transcript processed yet.
2026-10-06 - City Council Committees - Council attorney's framework advanced to the full council with same-night minutes.
2026-11-07 - 2026-11-10 - City Council Full Meeting - Third readings on the agenda; the data center zoning update is also before 2026-11-10 - City Council Committees (Planning & Zoning).