The disclosure and our analysis
Evidence dates
Evidence: City of San Antonio news releases of October 29, 2026 (District 6, Mayor, District 10) and October 15, 2026 (District 6); City Council A Session agenda and agenda memorandum for October 29, 2026, file 26-224818, with the published Option B code text. Read November 3, 2026. Status is as of October 29, 2026.
What council decided
The District 6 office says council voted 9-2 to pass Galvan's proposed data center regulations on October 29, a year to the day after his original Council Consideration Request. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said the action ensures City Council has the opportunity to review each data center application. District 10 Councilman Marc Whyte voted against the final item and said it goes further than necessary and does not create a standard for businesses to rely on. [Source 1] [Source 2] [Source 3]
Galvan's October 15 release described his approach as requiring that all data centers be granted a Specific Use Authorization zoning designation, giving council a vote on every proposed data center in the city. [Source 4]
The options council had
The October 29 agenda memorandum laid out two staff drafts. Option A would have allowed data centers by right in intense commercial and industrial zones when they meet minimum standards such as distances from homes and schools, with an "S" Specific Use Authorization needed only for projects that do not meet them. Option B would require an "S" in every instance and let council tailor standards to each project. A third option came from the mayor, and the Zoning Commission recommended a combination on October 20. [Source 5]
The published Option B text limits data centers to the C-3, L, BP, I-1, I-2, MI-1 and MI-2 districts, each with a Specific Use Authorization, and lists conditions council may impose, including minimum distances from homes, schools, assisted living and daycare, indoor generators, height limits and setbacks. It also treats a data center as abandoned after three years without operation. [Source 6]
We have not seen the final adopted text, so we cannot confirm which Option B provisions, or any floor amendments, are in the version that passed. The mayor said her proposed provisions on transparency, public health and property values were not included. [Source 2]
Status
On our status vocabulary: the code change is Approved by the San Antonio City Council, 9-2, on October 29, 2026. It is a zoning rule, not a project approval. The reviewed sources do not state the effective date of the signed ordinance or how projects already in the permitting pipeline are treated.
Buyer analysis
This is our analysis. San Antonio has been one of the main Texas data center markets outside Dallas and Austin. Under the new rule, a new data center site in the city needs a zoning case and a council vote, with conditions set project by project. That adds a public hearing step and schedule risk that a by-right path would not.
For buyers, the practical effect is on future supply inside city limits, not on existing facilities. When a provider quotes new San Antonio capacity, ask whether the building already has its zoning, and if not, when its Specific Use Authorization hearing is set. Sites outside city limits, in Bexar County or nearby counties, are not covered by this city code.
