More Connecticut towns are banning data centers before they even get proposed
Three Connecticut towns so far have passed
moratoriums on the construction of data
centers — and they likely won’t be the last. Many municipalities
around the state have considered similar bans, whether or not a
project has been proposed.
Proposals to build data centers are often met with
significant local opposition, with concerns ranging from environmental
issues to energy usage to noise. But experts say a ban on data centers
is often a town’s attempt to maintain a measure of control over large
development projects within its borders.
“Relatively few proposals for data center development have
been submitted in our communities,” said Betsy Gara, executive director of the
Connecticut Council of Small Towns. But towns and cities are considering
temporary bans “to allow time to establish appropriate regulations,” Gara
said.
Groton was
the first Connecticut municipality to institute a temporary moratorium on
the construction of data centers, back in 2022. That temporary ban became a
permanent restriction a year later, with Groton adopting zoning
regulations to allow data centers only under 12,500 square feet in size.
That ban emerged from a proposal to build a data center next
to the Millstone nuclear power facility. But in
Morris, a two-year data center moratorium was passed in May despite
there being no such proposal. However, two large solar developments for Morris
had been approved by the Connecticut
Siting Council against the town’s objections.
When West Haven passed
a similarly
preemptive one-year moratorium on data centers earlier this
month, Mayor Dorinda Borer said, “There’s a lot of challenges with data centers
that can impact electrical rates and the environment and the health of the
community.”
Gara pointed out other concerns for cities and towns.
“Many rural towns have seen farmland eaten up by
utility-scale solar developments and are concerned about the potential loss of
additional agricultural land. As a result, they are exploring ways to preserve
farmland and maintain the quiet, rural character of their communities,”
she said.
“Suburban communities are also questioning whether
large-scale data centers are compatible with their planning and development
goals. From the perspective of many municipalities, projects that consume
significant amounts of land while generating relatively few permanent jobs can
be difficult to justify,” Gara said.
Data centers are essentially warehouses that house computer
servers. And as artificial intelligence continues to proliferate, more servers
and therefore larger data centers are required. There are no so-called
hyperscale data centers in Connecticut, usually defined as facilities exceeding
1 million square feet, though there are many smaller data centers around the
state, according
to datacentermap.com.
When a data center proposal was considered last
June in Bloomfield, planning and zoning commissioners raised concerns over
noise, the height of the building, the proximity to Bradley
International Airport and the loss of open space. A year later, the
project has not been approved.
Brian O’Connor, chief lobbyist for the Connecticut
Conference of Municipalities, said there are legitimate concerns over the
largest data centers, including the use of water as a coolant and the use of
electricity. But there is also opposition based on what data centers represent
as AI use grows, he said.
“I think people are speculating that there’s going to be a
substantial amount of job losses tied to data centers,” O’Connor said.
Moratoriums on data centers, he said, are “trying to preempt and slow down the
change in how the world does business to a certain degree, and they’re like,
'let’s catch our breath here and make sure we’re doing the right thing.'”
But not all municipalities are opposed to the idea. Norwich Mayor Swarnjit
Singh said, “As a city we are open to data centers.”
Norwich has its own, dedicated utility company, and O’Connor
said municipal-based power generation can make a difference. Data centers, he
said, are often looking for “proximity to power and cheaper power in order to
run their operation.”
Wallingford also
has its own power grid, and in 2024 it voted to change
zoning regulations to allow for data centers in its Watershed
Interchange District.
But the decision to pause data center development is often
based on how a municipality views itself. Many towns similarly instituted
temporary bans on dispensaries after the state approved legal cannabis sales,
O’Connor said.
“I think the footprint of a data center is pretty large,
particularly where it will stick out in a more rural area, let’s say a cleared
farmland, and all of a sudden you see this big shiny metal object that’s drawn
off a local river,” he said. “It’s a change in the perception of the town,
potentially.”
Many towns and cities, O’Connor said, believe that one
development can lead to more.
“It’s kind of like the solar arrays, when once it starts,
when does it stop,” he said. “I think people are concerned that that might
happen with data centers as well.”
Waterford again rejects housing plan for former airport site
Jack Lakowsky
Waterford — A developer whose controversial plan to allow up
to 1,500 housing units to be built on the former Waterford Airport site was
rejected in March, has now seen the town reject its scaled-back request.
Mathon Funding, a firm that owns and wants to develop 188
acres at 140 Parkway South, recently proposed a zone change that would have
allowed up to about 790 housing units. The firm's application called for 600.
The Planning and Zoning Commission last week again denied
Mathon's application. Had it passed, Mathon was expected to submit a site plan
with more information, like the state's report on if the road and traffic
signals need improvement and further reports on potential impact on wildlife,
which was a chief concern
for residents back in March.
Project documents called for preserving the remaining 128
acres of Mathon's property, which is off the Cross Road commercial and
industrial area, mostly along Jordan Brook and Nevins Brook.
Units would've been split between 12 apartment buildings and
23 townhouses, and project engineer Brandon Handfield had said the development
would have created an opportunity for more housing in the area and meet the
needs of future residents.
Commission Chairman Greg Massad, who publicly disclosed that
he has unrelated business dealings with Handfield and later voted to approve
the zone change, said he thought it was a "good, reasonable plan" for
the property.
Massad said the current, more industrial-leaning zoning
opens up the property to less desirable development.
"What could go here is something we really do not
want," Massad said.
Commissioner Tim Conderino, however, said approving the plan
as presented would've been rushed.
"I don't see what the urgency is for this to be
approved with so many lingering questions," Conderino said, adding he was
concerned the developer might propose a site plan with 100 extra units, still
within the limit of the rejected zone change.
Conderino was also concerned about the project using too
much of the town's sewer capacity. Commissioners Karen Barnett and Doris Crum
had concerns about increased traffic buildup and wanted more clarity about if
the project would've included affordable housing units, potentially allowing
the developer to bypass certain zoning regulations.
As in March, residents of the area were concerned about
traffic and wildlife in the wooded area.
Another point that came up during deliberations were
possible improvements that would be needed to Waterford Parkway South, and as
Planning Director Mark Wujtewicz researched this, he learned that the town does
in fact own the road.
Wujtewicz said decades ago, the state gave the road to the
town, and the Representative Town Meeting approved the transfer at the time. It
then went to the Board of Selectmen to sign the agreement, but there's no
record that ever happened.
Now, Wujtewicz said, the town is working to affirm its
possession of the road.
The property at 140 Parkway South has swapped hands several
times over the past 40 years.
According to Wujtewicz's report on the project, the large
parcel has been unused since 1987, when the Waterford Airport ended operations.
Then in 1990, the town approved the site for a business park that never came to
be, with that developer abandoning the project five years later.
Nothing substantial has occurred there since, except a 2020
application from a concrete manufacturer that was quickly withdrawn.
Town of Killingly discusses details of proposed Amazon warehouse VIDEO
Lauren Drapeau
KILLINGLY, Conn. (WTNH) — The Planning and Zoning Commission
for the town of Killingly heard details about a proposed Amazon warehouse that
would come to town on Monday.
The commission discussed concerns with increased traffic
once up and running, how fire departments would get the water necessary to put
out potential electrical fires and more.
If approved, the new facility would be built off Westcott
Road. It would cost around $200 million and will bring 500 full-time jobs.
The Planning and Zoning Commission cannot make a decision
until July 20.