Skip to content
Monday, November 9, 2026
Latest
Hub City Uncovered: home Join the insiders
News

Lubbock data center rules: What P&Z decided, the Tuesday and Dec. 10 hearings, and how to speak up

By Jerry Rodriquez

Lubbock’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 on Thursday, Nov. 5, to recommend new rules for large-scale data centers. Nothing is final yet. The City Council has the last word. Tuesday’s meeting is the first of two required public hearings on a proposed 90-day pause on new applications, and the city’s planning director says the second hearing — and the earliest first vote on that pause — is Dec. 10.

What P&Z decided

The commission sent staff’s proposed Unified Development Code amendments on large-scale data centers, and related power generation and transmission, to the council, with one change. If the state grid operator ERCOT already requires a power study for a project, that study would satisfy Lubbock’s power-study requirement, rather than leaving that as optional wording. The city’s posted agenda says the commission “makes recommendation; City Council has final authority,” and we covered the vote in our Nov. 5 story.

What the draft rules would require

Texas Construction Hub, in a Nov. 6 story by Ryan Mitchell, described the draft code this way. We haven’t independently confirmed that each item survived in the version P&Z voted on, so treat this as a summary of the draft, not the final text:

  • Setbacks: 300 feet where a site borders non-industrial zoning, and 500 feet for on-site generation and transmission equipment.
  • Noise: a 57-decibel limit at property lines, a low-frequency noise limit, and generator testing on weekdays only.
  • Screening: a berm or a 7-foot wall.
  • On-site power: closed-cycle gas turbines, plus a decommissioning plan and a letter of credit.
  • Growth: a new permit for expansions of more than 10% in power load or water use.
  • Who is covered: sites that meet the state’s large-load threshold or use more than 100,000 gallons of water a day, including cryptocurrency mining.

Our earlier explainer has the July draft’s other pieces, including the water reservation fee. The city’s Planning director, Kristen Sager, has said the fee amount will come in a separate ordinance.

What happens next

Kristen Sager, the city’s planning director, answered our questions about the pause calendar in an email Monday morning, Nov. 9. She signed as Kristen Sager, MPA, AICP, Director of Planning.

  • Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2 p.m.: The council holds the first of two required public hearings on a proposed 90-day pause on new rezoning, permit and annexation applications for large-scale data centers, item 6.1 on the council agenda. Asked whether Tuesday is the first of two required hearings, Sager wrote: “Yes.” The meeting is in Citizens Tower, 1314 Avenue K.
  • Dec. 10: The second public hearing on the pause, Sager said. Asked when the council could first vote on the pause, she wrote: “December 10th (first vote on the ordinance). The second vote on the ordinance would be in January.” She did not give a specific January date.
  • Already-filed applications: Asked whether the pause would apply to applications already filed with the city, Sager wrote: “No, it cannot be retroactive.”
  • Dec. 1 (rules track): The P&Z chair previously named Dec. 1 as the expected date for the council to take up the recommended zoning rules, matching what Sager told us earlier. That is a separate track from the pause hearings. The Dec. 1 agenda hasn’t been posted yet.

How to weigh in

  • In person Tuesday: Fill out the sign-up form at the meeting no later than 2 p.m., according to the agenda’s citizen-comment rules.
  • In writing: The city’s notice says written comments can be mailed to the City Secretary, P.O. Box 2000, Lubbock, TX 79457, before the hearing. The notice also lists ocs@mylubbock.us.
  • Need an accommodation? Call the City Secretary at 806-775-2061 at least 48 hours ahead, the agenda says. Planning questions: 806-775-2108 or cityplanning@mylubbock.us.
  • Watch later: The city’s recording of the Nov. 5 meeting is on Swagit. Minutes had not been posted on the city’s Agenda Center when we last checked.

What this does not do

None of this approves a data center. As of our reporting, city documents and local coverage show no large-scale project has been approved inside Lubbock. For the full backstory, see our P&Z preview and our Tuesday hearing guide.

Sources

Hub City UnCovered may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this story, at no extra cost to you. It doesn't affect what we cover. Learn more

See an error? Read how we handle corrections or contact us.

Get the week in Lubbock

Events worth your time, our newest stories and one place you haven't found yet. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, free.