Sugarloaf Alliance

County Council to Discuss Location of Data Centers

Critical Digital Infrastructure (CDI) Overlay Zone

Tuesday, 6/17

 

Location of data centers in Frederick County continues to be an issue for residents concerned about quality of life here. Current zoning allows data centers to be sited only in Light or General Industrial Zones (LI or GI), but the advisory Data Centers Work Group (DCWG) recommended against allowing data centers "by right" in any industrial zone. Because data centers are huge, noisy, and brightly lit (among other things), the DCWG suggested that an additional layer of analysis and public input be required before site plans can be approved, even in industrial zones.

 

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The County Executive, in partnership with the County Council, proposed a CDI Overlay Zone to be that additional layer of public scrutiny. Read the proposed CDI Overlay Zone legislation here. The legislation proposes that less than 1% of the county be devoted to data centers, which would total roughly 4,400 acres. Note that there is no map associated with this proposed legislative text, and no rationale or analysis is included to justify increasing data center development in the county to 4,400 acres or 1% of the county's area. The administration has indicated that the 1% might be achieved by doubling 2,200 acre EastAlco site, but again, no location is specified in the legislation.

 

Since the county has not offered a map, the attached graphic (copied here from a poster being circulated by several organizations) attempts to visualize what 4,400 acres of data centers adjacent to EastAlco might look like.

• The red color approximates 4,400 acres.

• The existing EastAlco acreage is the darkest red in the center.

• Acreage within the expanded EastAlco data center area that is currently zoned AG would have to be rezoned to GI or LI.

• Acreage known to be in preservation has not been included in the red area but could eventually be adjacent to the CDI zone.

 

Sugarloaf Alliance continues to participate in the debate. We have serious concerns about the effects of so many resource-intensive data centers in our county and state, we stand with our Adamstown neighbors who now are threatened with expanded data center development, and we worry that the county is engaged in a kind of incrementalism that eventually will aim back at the Sugarloaf area.

 

The public is encouraged to attend Tuesday's County Council meeting and to wear white to show opposition to the legislation as currently proposed. Please note that this meeting is a "first reading," not a public hearing.  Limited public comments may be offered at the beginning (5:30) or toward the end of the meeting, after the Council has returned from its Closed Session (see the agenda).

 

County Council meetings are held in Winchester Hall, 12 East Church St., Frederick, and meetings begin at 5:30pm. The agenda is attached here.

 

 

The Knapp/Young Data Center Bill (25-05)

 

In addition to locating data centers in the county (see above), the Data Center Work Group (DCWG) recommended legislation to update site criteria for data centers.

 

Bills were proposed by Council Members Knapp and Young and by Council Members McKay and Donald. In our view, the weaker Knapp/Young bill not only ignored recommendations from the Data Centers Work Group, the majority's four amendments (including the provision that would allow data centers to be only 200 feet from a residential property line) made it worse. Thanks for writing emails, signing the petition and showing up to testify.

 

Despite our efforts, at their legislative session on May 20, the County Council passed the Knapp/Young bill 5-2, with only Mr. McKay and Mr. Donald voting no. Read the approved legislation here.

 

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