GREENFIELD — City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to adopt a one-year moratorium on data centers.
The moratorium, brought forth by Precinct 7 Councilor Sarah Bolduc, tasks the Planning Board with reviewing current zoning codes and regulations; developing a body of research on any impacts these facilities may have on the community, public safety, city infrastructure and adjacent infrastructure; and considering the impact, if any, to area wildlife and natural resources.
Councilors agreed on Wednesday that the moratorium is a good idea, but further questioned the logistics of what happens if, in a year, the Planning Board has not finished drafting language, or brings forth language that the council thinks is not strong enough. Out of consideration for this, the moratorium includes language that states if the Planning Board is unable to put forth recommendations in that time frame, City Council can extend the moratorium by 180 days, and during that period, the council would have to draft its own changes to the zoning regulations.
Precinct 1 Councilor Katherine Golub asked whether the council could simply vote against extending the moratorium and adopt its own language, but City Clerk Kathy Scott said that if the council votes down any proposal, it must wait nine months before voting on a substantially similar subject.
After some back and forth, the council agreed that rather than consider hypothetical situations that could occur next year, the focus should be on the moratorium proposal itself. In a roll call vote, members voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.
“We should let the Planning Board do their work. They’re really good at it,” Precinct 4 Councilor John Bottomley said. “And we’ve also expressed that they’re leading, and that it’s not just us. We don’t want to rush into something because the state is looking at this.”
Councilors referenced an executive order signed earlier this month by Gov. Maura Healey, which says Massachusetts will not permit or approve any data centers unless the company looking to build one has received local approval. Councilors said the city should not rush into zoning changes that regulate or potentially ban data centers, and that this year should be used for research and to see how the state proceeds with data center regulations.
“One of the reasons I think that it’s important for Greenfield to have a piece of legislation like this is because we’re the county seat,” Bolduc said. “All of our troubles go downriver, and so it’s one of those things where once we open that door, we’re having that conversation with the whole county.”
Along with discussions on data centers, the council also voted to declare the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day, reviewed a proposal to switch the one-way directions of Davis and School streets, recognized the council’s new parliamentarian and approved zoning code changes seeking to clarify the Dover Amendment.
Indigenous Peoples Day
Historically, the second Monday of October has been recognized as Columbus Day, commemorating the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. The day had been celebrated in America since the 18th century, but was not formally recognized as a federal holiday until 1937.
In recent decades, more and more cities across the nation — including Northampton and Easthampton locally — have taken to recognizing the day as Indigenous Peoples Day, either instead of or alongside Columbus Day. In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first to declare Indigenous Peoples Day a federal holiday; however, President Donald Trump has since returned the day to recognizing Columbus and, in 2025, declared Christopher Columbus “the original American hero.”
City councilors said it was about time they officially made the switch. While City Hall has recognized Indigenous Peoples Day, and the city’s social media pages have posted that offices would be closed for “#IndigenousPeoplesDay” and “#ColumbusDay,” the council itself had never discussed officially recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day.
“I’m glad this is coming forward, and I’m a little surprised that it actually took us this long,” Precinct 2 Councilor Rachel Gordon said.
During public comment, Erin Anhalt, the city’s chief of staff and a member of the Choctaw Nation, said she personally believes recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day is important.
“My grandmother went to Native-born schools; she was kidnapped by the government when she was 5 or 6 … and was in an Indian boarding school until she ran away at 16,” Anhalt said. “I’m also half Italian, and there are better Italians we can be celebrating.
“Indigenous people are still here. We’re a valid and valuable part of this country,” Anhalt continued. “It is really important that we do what we can to right the wrongs of the past, and one of the biggest wrongs is frankly how Mr. Columbus started an ongoing genocide that our people are still dealing with today.”
Council Vice President John Garrett explained that Columbus Day had risen in popularity in response to anti-Italian discrimination, adding that Columbus was known to be “a terrible person” even in the 1500s.
“The king and queen of Spain hired this guy, and they put him in jail,” Garrett said. “It’s been 526 years, basically, that people have known this man has committed crimes, so this is a pretty reasonable and not extreme step to take.”
The resolution will be sent to various city departments and organizations, as well as state legislators.
Other discussion
City Council also took a moment to recognize Assistant City Clerk Quinn Jaquins, who has been appointed as the council’s new parliamentarian, and approved zoning code changes seeking to clarify the Dover Amendment.
As parliamentarian, Jaquins will advise the council on governmental procedure in accordance with “Robert’s Rules of Order.”
The Dover Amendment, meanwhile, is a section of Massachusetts General Law stating that land that is used for educational or religious purposes is exempt from some levels of local regulation. Over the years, the amendment has been used to exempt other land uses that are prioritized by the state government — such as solar energy and accessory dwelling units — from local restrictions.
The Planning Board put forth language to City Council seeking to better explain what organizations must do to prove they qualify under the Dover Amendment and are exempt from zoning regulations, including requiring applicants to provide “copies of the deed to the property, a proposed or existing lease, the articles of organization and bylaws of the applicant organization, the letter of determination granting the applicant tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code, and program materials demonstrating, in the case of an exempt educational institution, that the organization has a bona fide educational purpose and program.”
Additionally, the council heard Fire Chief Robert Strahan’s proposal to switch the one-way directions of Davis and School streets to improve access for fire engines. The council did not vote on the matter, as City Council President Lora Wondolowski said it’s an executive office decision, but attendees did ask questions about the timeline for any changes.
Strahan said changes would not happen anytime soon, as the city needs to take a closer look at potential impacts on traffic and “look at it under a different microscope than just the Fire Department.”
The proposal entails switching the directions of traffic on Davis and School streets so that Davis — currently a southbound road — becomes northbound from Main Street to Ames Street, and School Street — currently a northbound lane — becomes southbound from Main Street to Ames Street. Past Ames Street, travel can occur in both directions on both roads.
