Planning AI Watch is a weekly roundup of what public agencies around the world are doing about AI readiness and governance, selected for planners.

This week

Two threads ran through this week’s items. The first is writing the rules before the tools arrive: Palm Desert adopted a tiered AI policy with a public list of approved tools, the London Assembly asked whether planning authorities have the skills and safeguards to adopt AI, and the London Borough of Newham opened market engagement on a planning system overhaul without committing to any particular use of AI. The second is the pace of local data center rules. In one week, San Francisco, Oakland and Anne Arundel County paused new facilities, Hillsboro moved from a moratorium toward permanent land limits, and Memphis postponed its vote again, while Australia’s federal government consulted on national standards that would sit alongside state planning approvals. The shared lesson for planning agencies: a pause buys time only if it is used to answer specific questions, such as how a data center is defined, what water and power information applicants must disclose, and who signs off.

Worth your time

Palm Desert adopts a tiered AI policy for city work

News | City | Palm Desert, CA (KESQ; NBC Palm Springs) The City Council voted 5-0 on October 8 to adopt a policy that sorts AI uses into low, moderate and high risk. Uses that touch sensitive city information, act without prior human approval, or could create a legal or financial commitment for the city need sign-off from a department director or the city manager, and a new AI officer position will run the classification program. The city plans a public webpage listing approved tools and their uses, and KESQ reports that officials set aside a proposed AI-assisted building plan review system because they did not think the technology was ready.

Why it matters: A risk tier tied to a named approver, plus a public inventory of tools, is a model smaller cities can adapt, and the decision on plan review shows a policy doing its job by saying “not yet.”

London Assembly examines how AI is changing planning decisions

News | Regional | London, UK (London Assembly) The Planning and Regeneration Committee held a hearing on October 1 on the opportunities and risks of AI in planning, the role the Greater London Authority should play in guiding adoption, and how residents are using AI in consultations. Its questions included whether local authorities have the skills and resources to adopt AI and what safeguards are needed for transparency, accountability and public trust. The committee notes that nine in ten local planning authorities report receiving AI-generated planning submissions.

Why it matters: AI is arriving on both sides of the counter, so agencies need a position on AI-written applications and objections as well as on their own tools.

Newham asks suppliers for ideas on a planning system overhaul

News | Borough | Newham, London, UK (Planning Geek) The council published a preliminary market engagement notice on October 7 covering the full planning process, from pre-application advice through validation, consultation, assessment, decision reports and public registers, with appeals excluded. AI is one of several technologies in view, and the notice does not commit the council to using generative AI for any decision. Responses are due October 23.

Why it matters: Planning Geek flags risks worth settling early, including AI summaries that drop material objections and officer reports that blur with machine-generated text. Market engagement, before a business case is written, is the cheapest point for an agency to set those terms.

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania launches a voter chatbot with tight limits

News | County | Montgomery County, PA (MONTCO.Today) The county’s Voter Services website now has “Mo,” built with vendor Citibot, which answers basic election questions in more than 70 languages. It draws only on the Voter Services website and the county’s mapping system, declines to recommend candidates, and according to a county commissioner does not collect or store personal information. The county is asking users for feedback.

Why it matters: Restricting an assistant to the agency’s own pages and maps is a practical pattern for planning departments considering a resident-facing tool for zoning or permit questions.

Data centers: pauses with a purpose

Local data center action again led our sources. The more useful items this week were the ones that said what a pause is meant to accomplish.

  • San Francisco and Oakland pause for 45 days: Both voted unanimously on October 6. San Francisco’s pause covers new facilities, expansions and related permits while the city studies water, energy, air quality and land use and works on a clearer definition of “data center,” with a Planning Commission hearing on the findings when the 45 days end. Oakland’s sponsor also criticized developers’ use of nondisclosure agreements. (SFist)
  • Anne Arundel County pairs a pause with a work group: The council voted 7-0 on October 5 for a moratorium through January 31, 2028, or until permanent legislation passes, with a work group to recommend rules on energy and water use, utility infrastructure, noise, air quality and economic development. The bill also ends a property tax reduction for data storage centers. (WMAR-2 News)
  • Hillsboro, Oregon moves from moratorium to limits: The council unanimously advanced an ordinance that would allow only about 30 more acres of new standalone data centers, add a 1,000-foot buffer around schools and restrict battery storage sites, with a final vote set for October 20. Data centers already occupy more than 430 acres of the city. (GovTech)
  • Memphis postpones again: After protests interrupted the October 6 meeting, the council delayed the final reading of a yearlong moratorium. Supporters note that the city’s development code has no specific definitions for hyperscale facilities, which are now regulated as standard industrial uses. (Fox News; Hoodline)
  • Australia consults on national data centre standards: A federal consultation that closed October 9 proposes mandatory standards for facilities of 30 MW or more, covering new renewable generation, water efficiency and reporting, engagement with communities, First Nations peoples and councils, and siting away from sensitive areas, while leaving planning and zoning with the states and territories. (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet)
  • New York’s statewide pause awaits the governor: A bill for a one-year moratorium on permits for hyperscale data centers above 20 MW has passed both chambers, and Governor Hochul has until December 31 to act. (Transparency Coalition)

Also noted

Planning AI Watch is published by SchillerTech Group, an independent advisory that helps planning departments decide whether and when to adopt AI, on their own terms. Seen something we should include? Write to tom@schillertech.com.

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