BRENHAM PLANNING AND ZONING RECOMMENDS HOLD ON FURTHER COMMERCIAL CRYPTO MINING AT HOMES

  

The Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission recommended a series of changes to city code on Monday to disallow—at least temporarily—residential cryptocurrency mining operations.

The commission voted unanimously to send the city council a list of amendments to city code pertaining to limitations on home occupations.  The changes add definitions for commercial cryptocurrency mining and server farms and prohibit them as a home occupation or hobby.  The alterations are intended to put a hold on more large-scale crypto miners coming into residential areas while the city performs more research and builds up its electrical infrastructure to be able to handle the demand created by the practice.

Public Utilities General Manager Debbie Gaffey said there are both benefits and drawbacks to allowing more crypto mining to take place, but ultimately the city needs more time to make an informed decision.

 

Gaffey said the city could potentially make strong income, but would need to account for risks to the electric system and develop a proper tariff.

Project Planner Shauna Laauwe said one potential solution would be to limit commercial mining to industrial zones that already have the infrastructure needed to accommodate it.

 

Garrett Casada, who currently runs a residential crypto mining operation in Brenham, and will continue to be able to do so as he has been grandfathered, said the city needs to do all it can to prepare, because cryptocurrency is only going to grow in popularity.

 

Casada, who works as a homebuilder and mines cryptocurrency with his son as a hobby, said in the event of an emergency with electricity like during Winter Storm Uri, he would be willing to temporarily shut down his operation.

Click here to read the agenda packet for Monday's meeting.