Council debates moratorium and standards for large data centers

Councilors discussed whether to impose a temporary moratorium on large data centers and what threshold should trigger extra review.

Staff noted the town attorney’s recommendation that "anything over a 100,000 square feet for a data center be put on the memorandum," and that most large data centers are far larger than that. Councilors discussed that enacting a moratorium would start statutory timelines and obligate the town to draft performance standards during the pause.

Members asked staff to confirm whether a public hearing is required to enact a moratorium and agreed to return the item to the agenda after clarifying legal and planning steps, including whether the planning board should be tasked with drafting an ordinance should the council pursue a moratorium.