Mayor Lisa Borowsky asked the Scottsdale City Council to direct staff to schedule a Work Study Session on two topics: the potential creation of a large water user ordinance Item 23 and zoning ordinances as they apply to data centers Item 24.
The requests represent the next step after an earlier staff study that the Mayor had asked for last month. With council direction, the City Manager and City Attorney would agendize a formal Work Study Session where the council can discuss both topics together before considering any policy changes.
The large water user ordinance proposal would examine whether the city should adopt special rules for commercial and industrial customers that consume water at substantially higher rates than typical residential or business users. Such ordinances are used in other Arizona communities as a water conservation tool, particularly as the Colorado River shortage continues to affect the state's water supply.
The data center zoning discussion would explore whether Scottsdale's existing zoning code adequately addresses the unique demands of data center development — including water consumption for cooling, energy usage, and facility siting. Data centers have become a growing land use question in metro Phoenix as communities weigh economic development benefits against resource demands.
Both items were introduced as council member requests during the July 1 regular meeting and were part of a broader agenda that included liquor license approvals, a Rivian service center zoning case, and several railroad license agreements for the city's McCulloch-Parkside model railroad community.