Summary
Data centers under 50 megawatts will be decided by the Planning Commission; bigger ones need City Council approval under a new major conditional use permit. Some commissioners questioned why large data centers face extra hurdles when Hayward sits on prime power and fiber infrastructure.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Jun 25, 2026.
Impact analysis
Commissioners noted data center utility taxes could mean millions per year for the city.
Residents through potential utility tax revenue and a modernized power grid.
Large data center developers face an additional public hearing and possible delay.
Mentions & discussions (4)
Planning Commission — June 25, 2026
Multiple residents used public comment to blast the previously approved data center campus, citing diesel generator pollution, water use (56,000 gallons/day claimed), noise near homes and the shoreline, and a small benefits package for the city.
City Council — April 21, 2026
All new data centers — big or small — will now need final City Council approval, not just the Planning Commission. Council members flagged that even a 49-megawatt facility uses as much power as roughly 10,000 homes.
Planning Commission — April 9, 2026
Data centers under 50 megawatts will be decided by the Planning Commission; bigger ones need City Council approval under a new major conditional use permit. Some commissioners questioned why large data centers face extra hurdles when Hayward sits on prime power and fiber infrastructure.
City Council — January 27, 2026
Staff proposed requiring conditional use permits for data centers and limiting them to the general industrial zone. Council members split: some want data centers to come before the full council with strict performance standards and community benefits; others warned against demonizing an industry after the Stack center was lawfully approved.
Related development
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
The weekly brief for Hayward
What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.
Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.