(HAYWARD, CA.) – A data center project in Hayward has sparked the concern of residents after it was approved by the California Energy Commission, despite the city council’s concern over transparency and public scrutiny.
The planning commission’s approval came with underlines and technicalities, however, as the project narrowly fit within the zoning requirements of the proposed Eden Landing Road location at 26203 Production Avenue.
Photo Credit: California Energy Commission
While there is a 100-foot height limit for data centers, even in the Industrial Park Zoning District, Section 10-1.1604 of the Hayward Municipal Code allows data centers to bypass size restrictions with a loophole that passes them for offices, rather than the extreme disruption to water and energy many residents see them as.
Stack, the applicant responsible for the project, features a greenwashed sustainability page on its website that outlines no real actionable steps or figures for meeting and maintaining environmental standards.
OpGov.News reporter Madison Vinas reached out to the California Energy Commission to inquire about the project, which was exempted from CEC approval through the CEC Small Power Plant Exemption (SPPE) and classified as an insignificant impact on environment or energy resources:
Photo Credit: Madison Vinas
Her inquiry was met with a deferral to the Hayward City Planning Commission and a brief overview of why the CEC was not involved in the project.
Photo Credit: Madison Vinas
OpGov.News will continue to investigate why the commission allowed the project to be classified as an office building, bypassing any public comment until the item came up for review from the commission, which was prompted by the height of the building exceeding the initial limitations. This classification allowed the project to bypass any public comment or city council input until the item finally hit the city council agenda in May of 2025.
That height allowance granted by the planning commission was conditional, requiring a $2M Public Benefits Package from the developer, which many residents considered too small, considering the purported impact of the data center.
Comments on the data center project on Reddit threads and other local social media reflect a general disdain for the project from residents, who feel they were left out of the approval process intentionally.
“Looks like it’s time we refresh our local government top down. I remember when they were all online with stopping Costco from putting in gas saying it’s not “green” and now we have this?? I don’t want to hear 1 mention of green, lead, carbon, anything from Hayward city members anymore,” said one Reddit user.
Another said, “I truly truly believe we need some sort of authority that is NOT by city council or city staff that can oversee our government. It is astonishing how no one knew about this until it was too late. It is disheartening how the commissioners sold us out for what? Their reasoning might be that this allocated funding for public services? At what costs? We need city government reform. NOW. ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERVISOR STEP IN. This is needed. Our supervisor knows how our government is heavily influenced by associations and special interest. Something must be done. I am open to a respectful conversation. To be quite frank I am thinking about signing up for one of these commissions to see what it’s about.”
This is a developing story. Keep an eye on OpGov.News for follow-up articles on this topic.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at tracy.t@lead4earth.org.
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