Washington County says it did not approve federal warehouse purchase; outlines data-center moratorium recommendations

County Administrator Michelle Gordon told the Board of County Commissioners that Washington County had not approved or been involved in the federal government's purchase of a warehouse on Wright Road in Williamsport, and urged residents to direct questions about the federal project to federal authorities.

"Washington County has made no approvals for and has not voted for this federal project," Gordon said, noting the county was not involved in site selection and that questions about Department of Homeland Security work should be directed to ICE Environmental staff at the email address the county provided.

Gordon then outlined staff recommendations tied to the board's existing moratorium on data centers in unincorporated areas. The proposed local measures include requiring developers to submit energy plans that use alternative on‑site generation and return power to the grid, consideration of prohibitions on natural‑gas turbines and on lithium‑ion battery backups, water‑recycling and geothermal cooling plans, noise studies with a 50 dBA property‑line maximum, minimum 1,000‑foot setbacks from residences, and limiting new data‑center development to planned‑industrial zoning or special‑exception review by the Board of Zoning Appeals.

She provided a tentative timeline for the rulemaking process: staff review completed July 26–Sept. 26; planning‑commission workshops in Oct.–Nov. 2026; drafting and review of proposed local regulations in early 2027; and a planning‑commission draft available for public review in March 2027 with subsequent submission to the Board of County Commissioners for additional hearings and potential adoption.

Gordon emphasized the moratorium applies only to unincorporated areas of the county and not to incorporated municipalities such as Hagerstown, Clear Spring, Hancock, Boonsboro, Keedysville, Smithsburg, Williamsport, Funkstown and Sharpsburg, which retain their municipal zoning authority under state law (referencing the county's summary of §4‑416 of the Maryland Annotated Code of Local Government).

The board did not take an immediate vote on regulations; Gordon said staff will forward proposed language to the planning commission and schedule public engagement as outlined in the timetable.