File #: Int 1485-2025    Version: * Name: Study and report on the feasibility and impact of siting data centers in New York city.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency and Waterfronts
On agenda: 11/25/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law in relation to a study and report on the feasibility and impact of siting data centers in New York city
Sponsors: Julie Menin
Council Member Sponsors: 1
Summary: This bill would require the Director of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability to study and report on the feasibility and impact of locating data centers in New York City. The Director would be required to identify potential sites in the city where data centers could operate and consider the impact that data centers would have on the electric grid, water supply, utility rates, long-term sustainability and energy plans, economy, and nearby residents’ quality of life. The Director would also be required to recommend changes to local law or the zoning resolution to facilitate the building of data centers, and propose solutions to minimize any negative effects of data centers on the city or its residents. Within 1 year of the law’s effective date, the Director would be required to submit a report containing the findings and recommendations of the study to the Mayor and the Speaker of the Council and post a copy of the report on the City’s website.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1485, 2. Int. No. 1485, 3. Memorandum In Support, 4. November 25, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda

Int. No. 1485

 

By Council Member Menin

 

A Local Law in relation to a study and report on the feasibility and impact of siting data centers in New York city

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:

Data center. The term “data center” means a facility that is primarily used to house operational high-density computing equipment for data storage and processing, including server racks, and graphic and tensor processing units.

Director. The term “director” means the director of long-term planning and sustainability.

b. Study. The director shall conduct a study on the feasibility of siting data centers in the city. Such feasibility study shall, at a minimum:

1. Identify all vacant industrial buildings, vacant land, and underutilized sites that would be suitable for the siting of data centers;

2. Evaluate the impact that such data centers would have on:

(a) The city’s electric grid and water supply, the goals identified in the long-term sustainability plan produced under subdivision e of section 20 of the New York city charter, and the advice and recommendations in the most recent long-term energy plan produced under subdivision d of section 3-126 of the administrative code of the city of New York;

(b) Residential and commercial utility rates and charges;

(c) The quality of life of persons living within a half-mile radius of each site determined to be suitable for the siting of a data center under paragraph 1 of this subdivision; and

(d) The city’s economy, including any impact on workforce development and employment opportunities for city residents, commercial development, and city revenues;

3. Recommend changes to local law or the New York city zoning resolution that would facilitate the development and operation of data centers in the city; and

4. Propose solutions to mitigate any negative effects of data centers identified in the study.

c. Report. No later than 1 year after the effective date of this local law, the director shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and post on the city’s website, a report on the findings and recommendations of the study required under subdivision b of this section.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

ALK

LS #20360

11/19/2025 9:54 AM