They don’t want to see the ‘by-right’ zoning for data center approval.
Frederick, Md (KM) The Frederick County Council on Tuesday heard a lot of citizen testimony on a bill to establish siting criteria for data centers. The legislation, sponsored by Councilwoman Renee Knapp and Council President Brad Young, covers such issues as the location of these facilities, visual impacts, sound and vibration impacts and air pollution and environmental health.
The legislation says data centers would be allowed in areas zoned limited industrial or general commercial. They could also be located within a community growth area as designated by the Comprehensive Plan Land Use map, and within two miles of a 69 kilovolt or greater high voltage electric transmission line.
They would not be allowed within a Priority Preservation Area, a Rural Legacy Area, or a Treasured Landscape Management area. Also off limits to data centers are areas with no planned water or sewer service in the Water and Sewerage plan, and they cannot abut land that is zoned residential or designated as residential in the Comprehensive Plan.
One person who testified was Megan Sweigert, the Executive Director of Tech Frederick which works to strengthen the tech sector. She said data centers are good for the area’s economy. “During the construction phase alone, data centers generate hundreds of jobs in the skilled trades, benefiting local electricians, HVAC technicians, contractors and suppliers,” she said. “Once operational, they provide high paying, stable careers in IT, engineering, cyber security, facility management, security.”
Elizabeth Law said Frederick County should avoid the mistakes made by Loudon County, Virginia when it began constructing data centers. She said one way is not to use “by-right” zoning for these facilities. “Loudon County had by-right zoning since 2008. They have learned that it leads to deterioration of community life and property values,” she said. “Yeah, a lot of money. But with 199 data centers on the ground, and 117 in the pipeline, Loudon County will need six new transmission lines. Each transmission line is equal in size to the MPRP.”
The MPRP is the Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project, a proposed 70-mile, 500 kilovolt electric transmission line extending from northern Baltimore County, through central Carroll County, and into southern Frederick County, ending at the Doubs substation.
“By right” zoning means that a property can be developed without needing any special permits or approvals because it already complies with existing zoning regulations in the area.
Brian Sweeney, a Frederick County farmer and a member of the Data Centers Workgroup, said “floating zones” should the process for approval data centers. “This idea of a floating zone was presented to us by the Executive Director of Loudon County Economic Development, Buddy Rizer,” Sweeney said. “He warned that the failure to address this issue and leave it as by-right in LI {Limited Industrial} and GI {General Industrial} would open door for unchecked data center expansion. And he explained to us the detrimental affect it would have to all industry in the county, and this included agriculture.”
Under a floating zone, the Planning Commission and the County Council would approve the siting of data centers. This process would allow citizens to comment.
“A floating zone provides a safety net whereby our legislative body, the body that represents the voice of the people, will he the final say where data centers will be located,:” said Elizabeth Bauer, who chairs Envision Frederick County. . “This is a very consequential step in the process, a process that must be considered carefully when there is potential to cause irreversible harm to our land, environment, forest, streams, wetlands and so on.”
A data center is under construction at the former Eastalco site in Adamstown.
By Kevin McManus