San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks to the Current about her data center plan earlier this week. Credit: Michael Karlis

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is gearing up for another City Hall battle — this time, over data centers.

Data centers are among voters’ top concerns heading into the 2026 midterms. A recent survey by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs shows that 79% of Texans support limiting the number of the massive computing facilities that can be built in the state.

“If there’s anything I know, it’s that people in our community don’t want to live next to two things: an ICE facility and a data center,” Jones told the Current during a sit-down interview this week.

More than 30 data centers are already operating in San Antonio, with another 40 proposed to come online in coming years. However, the rules governing who can build the energy- and water-intensive sites inside city limits are largely nonexistent.

That could change Thursday, when council is set to consider two different approaches to regulating data centers.

The first, recommended by the city’s Zoning Commission, would allow data centers to build if they meet a standard set of requirements. Those would include restricting construction to industrial, commercial or manufacturing zones outside the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone.

Operators also would need approval from CPS Energy and San Antonio Water System for their proposed electrical and water usage.

However, Jones said that’s not nearly enough.

Council is also considering her proposal, which would require data centers to follow most, if not all, of the proposed Zoning Commission guidelines, but also obtain final approval from council on a case-by-case basis.​

“These are popping up all over the country, and we really should help ourselves,” Jones said. “We really should learn from these other communities, because [San Antonio is] very attractive for these things. We own our water, we own our power and we’ve got the land. We should also not be attractive for being a cheap date when it comes to these issues.”

Jones said she was inspired to call for stricter regulations after visiting a Bexar County data center located just 500 feet from a neighborhood pool and playground. Under the Zoning Commission proposal, that same facility could be approved as long as it met the other requirements, she added.

“350 feet [from residential neighborhoods] is what the zoning commission said,” Jones said. “So, do you want diesel generators 350 feet away from your house? Does that make sense? No, it doesn’t.”

Cities such as Phoenix have already passed similar measures to protect residents, according to Jones. Even so, that municipality has faced legal challenges to its ordinance.

Although critics have described Jones’ proposal as draconian, some on council, including District 6’s Ric Galvan and District 4’s Edward Mungia, have expressed tentative support for Jones’ approach.

Jones, a national security expert who formerly served as undersecretary of the Air Force, said she isn’t completely against data centers and recognizes their importance not just to the local economy but to the nation’s defense capabilities. At the same time, she emphasized that she wants to protect residents’ health and home values.

“We need the computing power that data centers provide; we need that for our economic security, for our national security,” Jones said. “My entire career has been in national security, so, of course, I recognize that.”

She pointed out that San Antonio is home of the National Security Agency’s western hub and the Air Force’s cyber command.

“This is critical not just for our economy, but also our ability to fight and win wars. We get that,” she said. “However, we also need to protect people’s property values. We also need to protect people’s public health, and of course, make sure these are good partners in our community. So it’s a balance, and it’s what this proposal strikes.”

A protest calling for stricter data center regulation is slated for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Municipal Plaza Building, 114 W. Commerce St., ahead of council’s critical meeting on the issue.

Those who want to speak on the matter during council’s 9 a.m. Thursday meeting can register on the city’s website.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...