Hayward's 45-day pause on new data centers is about to run out, and the next decision comes first. On October 20, the Hayward City Council voted unanimously to adopt an interim urgency ordinance, Council item LB 26-015, that pauses approvals of new data centers for 45 days. That pause runs to about December 4. The council has a hearing tentatively set for December 1 to decide whether to extend it.Mark your calendar: Tuesday, December 1, 2026. That is the tentative date of the Hayward City Council hearing on whether to extend the pause.Here is how we got here. In May 2025, the STACK data center, a 76.6 megawatt campus on Eden Landing Road, received its key state approval. After that, residents raised concerns about power use, water use, noise, and air quality, and dozens turned out for a community meeting with Mayor Mark Salinas on August 11. On August 12, three council members asked staff to look at ways to limit or ban future data centers. On September 15, the council voted unanimously to have staff prepare the findings for a temporary moratorium while the city studies the impacts. On October 20, the council adopted the moratorium 7 to 0.What the pause does is narrow. It pauses the city's approval of new data center projects while staff studies the cumulative effects on power, water, air quality, noise, and emergency response. Developers can still submit applications during the pause, but the city cannot approve them while it is in effect. The pause does not stop projects that are already approved or under construction. That includes the four existing and approved centers near PG&E's Eastern Substation in western Hayward: two operating centers on Corporate Avenue, at 24 and 35 megawatts, one operating center on Clawiter Road at 49 megawatts, and the STACK campus, at 76.6 megawatts, which is under construction on Eden Landing Road.The two proposals most affected by the pause are the two new centers a developer has discussed with the city, at 99 megawatts each, near Arden Road and Corporate Avenue, within about half a mile of the existing centers. Those projects would need city approval to move forward, so the pause holds them in place while the study runs.December 1 is the date to watch. The hearing is tentatively set for that day, and the council would need at least six of its seven members to vote for an extension. If the council votes to extend, the pause would run another 10 months and 15 days, to about October 2027. State law allows one more extension after that, of up to a year, which could carry the pause to about October 2028. An extension is not automatic, and the council could also choose a different path, including new rules for data centers or a longer ban, which would need its own process and votes.For homeowners and buyers near the industrial area, the December 1 decision sets the timeline more than it changes anything overnight. No homes are covered by the pause, and no approved project stops because of it. What changes is how long new data center approvals stay on hold near Eden Landing Road, Corporate Avenue, and Arden Road. If the pause is extended, that area stays as it is into next fall while the city writes new rules. If it is not extended, new proposals could come back to the council under rules that now require a council vote and a Major Conditional Use Permit for large projects.If you live near the area or are looking at a home in western Hayward, the practical step is to follow the December 1 hearing and the staff report that comes with it. That report will show what the city's study found and what rules the council is considering next. I will share what the council decides and what it means for nearby properties as it comes out.Questions about buying in Hayward? Ask me, I help families from first time buyers to seasoned buyers.
Gary Archer
REALTOR®
Area served: Hayward, CA, Alameda County, CA, Oakland, Alameda County, CA, Fremont, Alameda County, CA, Union City, Alameda County, CA, San Leandro, Alameda County, CA, Berkeley, Alameda County, CA
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