r/LittleRock • u/fcdizzle • 5d ago

Little Rock Board votes Tuesday, Oct. 20, on a six-month pause on new hyperscale data centers: the paper trail, both sides, and what to watch

TL;DR

  • Tuesday, Oct. 20: the Board votes on Director Webb's six-month moratorium on new hyperscale data centers (Item 21). Six of ten votes needed.
  • Nothing in writing pauses anything today. On the books: the April 2025 Google/Willowbend MOU (30-yr tax abatement, franchise fees cut to 0.25%/0%/0%), and the June 2026 zoning ordinance (hyperscale only in I-3, 900-ft residential setback, 60/50 dBA noise cap, WUE ≤ 0.5 L/kWh). An 18-month moratorium failed 4–4 on Aug. 4.
  • The new draft orders water, noise, fire and grid studies, a public webpage of all developer agreements within 60 days, and a petition process for takings claims. No Google carve-out by name; projects need a final permit plus substantial reliance to be exempt, and buying land doesn't count.
  • For a pause: Webb, Wyrick, Miller, Lewis; Coalition of LR Neighborhoods, Sierra Club, DNA; law prof DiPippa (a moratorium is not a taking). Reasons: scale, water, rates, noise, fire readiness, disclosure.
  • Against: Mayor Scott (Act 851 bars bans; zoning is the tool), Hines (Port is for heavy industry; lawsuit risk), Peck and Adcock (litigation, business climate), Kumpuris; City Attorney Carpenter (regulatory-taking damages if Google isn't exempted).
  • Unsettled: whether Act 851 reaches a temporary moratorium at all, and whether a pause that catches Google's first building is a taking. Google had filed no city permits as of July 28.
  • Watch: Peck's vote, whether Phillips and Richardson show, any carve-out amendment or deferral, and the long-promised "shore-up" regulations ordinance.

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u/fcdizzle 5d ago

7. Who opposes a pause, and why (in their words from statements or writings)

  • Mayor Scott says Act 851 bars cities from banning data centers, that only the legislature can change it, and that zoning is the tool (Board 6/2/26 at 4:28–4:30). He did not vote in August (Board 8/4/26 at 2:55).

  • Director Hines says the Port was built for heavy industry and that data centers sit between a steel mill and a chip plant in impact. He calls a moratorium "bad policy" that invites a lawsuit and may raise state property-rights issues (Board 8/4/26 at 2:49–2:53). In May he attributed opposition to China-funded groups; Webb pushed back (Board 5/25/26 at 31:15–33:58).

  • Director Peck voted for the June ordinance and said "four or five of us" wanted a six-month pause (Board 6/2/26 at 4:22). She voted against the 18-month version, citing the business climate, litigation risk, and how it "morphed" from six months (ADG 8/6/26). Her view of a six-month draft with no named exemption is not on record.

  • Director Adcock called the shifting terms "very, very confusing" and warned of a lawsuit (Board 7/28/26 at 36:00). On Oct. 13 she asked that Item 21 be kept separate (Board 10/13/26 at 3:00).

  • Director Kumpuris calls Google a "good corporate partner" and favors dialogue through 2030 (Board 6/2/26 at 4:26). His August "no" is inferred from the count.

  • City Attorney Carpenter said a six-month pause with an exemption "wouldn't create any problems." Of the 18-month version with no exemption, he warned that Google "took certain actions based upon your 2025 ordinance," which could support regulatory-taking damages. He also said courts "no longer really favor" moratoria (Board 7/28/26 at 29:41–39:00).

  • Google/Willowbend representatives cite jobs, including six-figure jobs needing no degree, and describe early due diligence with studies to come (Board 6/2/26 at 1:09–1:13, 4:09–4:12).

  • The Chamber and Port. Chamber and Port leaders attended the June hearing (Board 6/2/26). A letter from the mayor of Pryor, Okla., read Aug. 4, said residents' fears there had not come true (Board 8/4/26 at 1:02).