Daily Digest — May 8, 2026
Baltimore City Council Advances Data Center Moratorium as Johns Hopkins Secures $9M for Bayview Expansion
A bill proposing a one-year moratorium on data center construction exceeding 10 megawatts in Baltimore has advanced out of committee and will proceed to the full City Council for a vote, according to WJZ. The legislation, introduced by City Council President Zeke Cohen with 11 of 15 council members as co-sponsors, would pause new large-scale data center development to allow the city to study industry impacts and integrate data centers into its zoning code, as reported by thebanner.com.
During public testimony before the Land Use Committee, residents and environmental groups — including the Chesapeake Climate Action Network — raised concerns about strain on the electrical grid, rising utility costs, water usage, and threats to Maryland's climate goals, according to WBAL-TV and the Hanford Sentinel. STEAMFITTERS Union officials supported the study but suggested it could be completed faster, highlighting 100–150 jobs per facility and noting that modern closed-loop cooling systems significantly reduce water consumption. Some speakers advocated for an outright ban, while others argued the 10-megawatt threshold was too high.
Meanwhile, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $9.04 million state grant for Johns Hopkins University to expand its data center at the Bayview campus — a $192 million, 25,000-square-foot facility supporting the university's Advanced Research Computing at Hopkins (ARCH) program. The project is expected to remain below the 10-megawatt threshold and would be exempt from the proposed moratorium, according to the Baltimore Sun and thebanner.com. The moratorium aligns with similar measures enacted in Baltimore County, Carroll County, and Montgomery County. Maryland is also conducting a statewide study on the financial and environmental impacts of data centers, with a final report due September 1.
Johns Hopkins advances $192M data center as Baltimore debates moratorium
Hanford Sentinel
Baltimore moves closer to pausing data center construction in the city
WJZ
Baltimore bill would pause data center construction
WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore
Johns Hopkins gets $9 million for new data center
thebanner.com
Baltimore’s proposed data center moratorium includes loophole for some projects
Baltimore Sun
Cleveland Developer Races to Secure $1.6B Data Center Approval Ahead of Proposed Moratorium
Lakeland Equity Group, a Westlake-based developer, has filed a permit application for a $1.6 billion, 150-megawatt hyperscale data center on a 35-acre former truck yard in Cleveland's Slavic Village neighborhood, according to the NEO-trans Blog. The project would include three buildings totaling 300,000 square feet. The developer is seeking approval under current zoning rules before the Cleveland City Council can vote on a proposed moratorium on new data center construction, with a potential enactment date of May 25.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb expressed "real concerns" about the proposal, emphasizing the need for "sensible regulations" to protect residents, as reported by News 5 Cleveland. Ward 15 Councilman Charles Slife, author of the moratorium legislation, cited the Slavic Village proposal as justification for the pause, which would run through May 1, 2027. The city's current zoning code does not differentiate between small data services and large-scale data centers.
Lakeland Equity Group states the facility would:
- Use closed-loop cooling technology, reducing water consumption by 80–90%
- Include significant electrical grid enhancements
- Create 1,500–2,000 temporary construction jobs and 65–115 permanent positions
Separately, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. was questioned about potential health risks from data centers — specifically asthma — during an appearance at the Cleveland City Club, according to Cleveland.com.
More details emerge on Cleveland data center
NEO-trans Blog
Cleveland's mayor has 'real concerns' as data center proposal surfaces in Slavic Village
News 5 Cleveland WEWS
Cleveland data center trying to get approved by city before moratorium takes effect
NEO-trans Blog
Cleveland's mayor is wary as major data center plan surfaces in Slavic Village
News 5 Cleveland
RFK Jr. pressed on Ohio data centers and asthma risk at Cleveland City Club
Cleveland.com
Kenilworth, NJ Residents Rally Against CoreWeave Data Center Already Under Construction
Residents of Kenilworth, New Jersey, packed a borough council meeting and rallied outside Borough Hall to protest the construction of a $1.8 billion, 400,000-square-foot CoreWeave data center on the former Merck campus at the Northeast Science and Technology Center (NEST campus), according to Eyewitness News ABC7NY and News12 New Jersey.
Residents raised concerns about noise pollution, water contamination, and potential increases to electricity and water bills. Many claimed they were not adequately notified about the project. However, Kenilworth Mayor Linda Korlavitch confirmed that the borough council approved the land sale to CoreWeave in 2025, the local planning board signed off on the redevelopment, and construction is already underway with completion expected by the end of 2027. Borough officials stated the window to stop the project has passed, noting the site is already equipped with necessary infrastructure.
CoreWeave released a statement saying its data centers are designed to be "responsible neighbors" that support economic activity, and committed to ongoing community engagement.
Union County Residents Protest Proposed AI Data Center in Kenilworth
News12 | New Jersey
Union County Residents Protest Proposed AI Data Center in Kenilworth
News12 | New Jersey
Union County Residents Protest Proposed AI Data Center in Kenilworth, New Jersey
News12 | New Jersey
Community rallies against giant data center being built in Kenilworth, New Jersey
Eyewitness News ABC7NY
Union County Residents Protest Proposed AI Data Center in Kenilworth, New Jersey
News12 | New Jersey
Coweta County Residents File Lawsuit to Block 830-Acre Data Center Rezoning in Georgia
Seventeen Coweta County, Georgia, residents — including farmers and landowners — have filed a lawsuit in Coweta County Superior Court challenging the county's decision to rezone nearly 830 acres of rural conservation land for a hyperscale data center campus known as "Project Sail," according to CBS News. The contested land is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River basin and is designated by Georgia as a "Most Significant Groundwater Recharge Area."
The appeal contends that the Coweta County Board of Commissioners:
- Disregarded its own ordinances and state law in approving the rezoning from rural conservation to industrial use
- Failed to trigger a new environmental review and public comment period after Atlas Development, LLC amended its application in January 2026 to seek a broader industrial classification following the county's adoption of a Data Center Ordinance in December 2025
- Violated residents' constitutional rights
Petitioners cite concerns over declining property values, construction noise, damage to private water wells, increased traffic, light pollution, wildlife displacement, and continuous noise from diesel backup generators. The lawsuit also challenges the developer's projected economic benefits, presenting alternative analyses showing lower tax revenues than claimed, as reported by 97.5 Glory FM. The county had previously imposed a 180-day moratorium on data center applications while developing its ordinance. Coweta County has declined to comment on the pending litigation.
