GREENFIELD — After hearing feedback from the Planning Board, Precinct 7 Councilor Sarah Bolduc plans to rework her draft zoning amendment, which would enact a one-year moratorium on data centers, into a resolution to be brought to City Council.
Planning Board members told Bolduc last Thursday that rather than go through the lengthy process to amend the city’s zoning code twice — once to issue a one-year moratorium, and then again once the board finalizes any data center regulations it may choose to implement — their preference would be that City Council implement the moratorium as an ordinance. This would only require a public hearing held by the council, rather than an amendment requiring hearings by both the board and council.
Bolduc brought two draft zoning amendments on data centers to the Planning Board last week, after being encouraged by the Economic Development Committee in June to pursue a one-year moratorium and explore further regulations. While no data centers are currently proposed in Greenfield, Bolduc said she would prefer to be proactive rather than reactive.
“I think this is a great opportunity to solve a policy problem before it begins,” Bolduc said. “It gives us time to really think about it. … I wanted to do it now rather than waiting for one to come up, because I think that these are projects that often go a lot more quickly than the bureaucracy of things like city politics.”
Bolduc said that while she personally would prefer to outright ban data centers, she wants to discuss the matter further with the Planning Board, City Council and Greenfield residents to determine what regulations would make the most sense for the city.
In her draft zoning amendment, which she said was based on zoning codes in Mansfield, Lowell and Holyoke, Bolduc defines data centers as “a facility, or portion thereof, primarily designed or used to house computer servers and related information technology infrastructure for the storage, processing, management or transmission of electronic data. A data center may include, but is not limited to, server racks, data storage systems, cooling systems, power conditioning equipment, substations, uninterruptible power supplies, backup generators, telecommunications equipment, security systems, and associated mechanical and electrical infrastructure. For purposes of this bylaw, a data center shall not be considered an office, warehouse, manufacturing or research use.”
She said data centers use up to 5 million gallons of water each day, and can have large impacts on the environment and the health of the surrounding community. She added that data centers can cause noise pollution.
While some Planning Board members said they appreciated a one-year moratorium as a tool to allow time to explore more thorough regulations, and that they would be in favor of developing a data center definition to include in the city’s zoning codes, members seemed divided on the need for data center rules in Greenfield.
“It feels like something that would roll out slow enough for us to intervene if it starts to be a problem,” Planning Board Chair Jeff Sauser said. “It’s true that it would be better to get ahead of it, but we also have to do other things with our time.”
“I’m not sure why we’re dealing with this,” member Victor Moschella said.
Moschella argued that a data center could only be built in the industrial zone, and applicants would need to go through the special permit review. He added that he believes a data center is no different than any other business that uses power and he is “dead set against a moratorium.”
“You’re singling out data centers because it’s the thing of the day. Everyone yells at data centers, but you want your computer, and then you want your [artificial intelligence], but you don’t want your data center,” he said. “It’s an industry; it’s no different than any other.”
“It’s a brand-new industry that’s changing far more rapidly than we can conceivably handle on the municipal level,” Bolduc said. “And being proactive about it with our language is the best way to have these conversations with full tools in our belt.”
Sauser also questioned the draft language, stating that it seems like power is being used to measure data centers, so he asked why the language doesn’t regulate any other facilities using a large amount of power. Bolduc said data centers do more than just consume high amounts of electricity, and added that the draft language is meant to be “a sandbox” for the Planning Board to work with.
“I definitely have a concern about the noise pollution and the heat. … I think we have to find a way to really proceed with caution,” alternate member Erica Rioux Gees said.
Planning Board Vice Chair George Touloumtzis said that without a definition, it can be easier for applicants to get a special permit, and creating a clear definition and standard for review would be beneficial for any future applicants.
“We don’t have standards; this is a distinct industry that is new,” Touloumtzis said. “I think it would be good to work out a definition, work on standards. … I think it would be good to be on top of this.”
Discussion on data centers and potential regulations is expected to continue at a future Planning Board meeting.
