Edinburg Poised to Restrict Data Centers to Industrial Zones Under Proposed Development Code Update
Edinburg, data centers, UDC, zoning, Special Use Permit, land use, city council
Staff Report
Edinburg TX – A proposed update to Edinburg’s Unified Development Code would define data centers for the first time in the city’s zoning framework and limit their construction to two industrial districts but only under a special use permit as the Edinburg City Council prepares to vote on the sweeping code overhaul Oct. 6. The Special Use Permit process requires several steps including notification of surrounding property owners.
The proposed code defines a data center as “a dedicated building or secure room that houses large networks of computer servers used to store, process, and manage digital data,” providing “the essential power, cooling, internet connection, and security needed to keep websites, apps, and online services running continuously without interruption.”
Under the draft UDC, data centers would be permitted only in the Light Industrial (IL) and General Industrial (IG) zoning districts, and in both cases only with a Special Use Permit approved by the City Council. The use would be prohibited in all other zoning classifications, including commercial, residential and downtown districts.
Special Use Permit Process
Any entity seeking to build a data center in Edinburg would be required to go through extensive staff review and a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission, which would forward a recommendation to the City Council. The council would make the final decision on approval or denial.
The proposed code outlines criteria the city would weigh in reviewing a Special Use Permit application. Reviewers would consider whether the proposed use constitutes a nuisance, including noise, fumes or vibration, that would be “more objectionable than permitted uses” in the surrounding area. Other factors include adequate road access, available public services, parking compliance and whether more appropriate sites are available elsewhere in the city.
The council may impose conditions on an approved permit, including restrictions on hours of operation, lighting, density and open space. Permits would not be transferable between property owners.
The proposed UDC requires written notice to property owners within 300 feet of the subject property for a Special Use Permit public hearing. The notice must be mailed to addresses as listed on the most recently approved municipal tax roll.
The code specifies that notice must go to all property owners both inside the city limits and within 300 feet of the application site. This applies to any Special Use Permit request, with one exception: telecommunication tower applications require notice within 500 feet.
The notice must include the type of application, a description of the proposed action, a legal description and location sketch of the parcel, the applicant’s name and contact, the date, time and location of the hearing, and a statement that interested parties may appear and be heard.
The cost of providing notice falls on the applicant. The code also states that failure of a surrounding property owner to actually receive notice does not invalidate the final decision.
Noise Standards
The proposed code includes citywide noise standards applicable to business properties. Sound levels at a property line may not exceed 65 decibels between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Any sound audible at the property line is prohibited between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Council Vote
The draft code is the product of a more than year-long process led by a UDC Steering Committee. It consolidates all development requirements for the city and its extraterritorial jurisdiction into a single document.
Planning and Zoning Director Jaime Acevedo and Assistant City Manager Tomas Reyna are recommending the council adopt the proposed code. The item is listed as Agenda Item 10.A on the Oct. 6 meeting agenda.
Source – City of Edinburg Draft Unified Development Code (Exhibit A) and Staff Recommendation Sheet, Agenda Item 10.A, Oct. 6, 2026