The staff text for Schertz's data center ordinance calls for a specific use permit in M-1 and M-2 industrial districts.
After a public hearing, the council adopted Ordinance 26-S-020 as recommended by staff. That puts the permit process, rather than a blanket approval for an individual site, at the center of the next data center proposal.
From the source record
After a public hearing, the council adopted Ordinance 26-S-020 as recommended by staff.City of Schertz meeting record ↗
What the permit changes
Staff defined a data center as a building primarily used to house and run large computer systems, while excluding primary office uses with internal server rooms. The distinction matters: an ordinary office with servers is not treated as a data center under the staff definition. The proposed use itself, not simply the presence of computers, determines whether this amendment's permit path applies.
The specific use permit process gives the council case-by-case discretion and a way to attach conditions to a proposed data center. Here is the practical difference: being in an eligible industrial district opens a route to seek approval, while the permit review lets council assess the particular proposal. The staff memorandum describes that discretion as the reason for using a specific use permit.