County pursues data center pause
Worcester County, Maryland, is pursuing a one-year moratorium on data centers and cable landing stations, with commissioners approving a motion for the pause that awaits final resolution. This comes as a Globalinx cable landing station project in West Ocean City faces ongoing review and significant local opposition due to environmental, utility, and noise concerns. The county's planning officials previously rejected a key argument from Globalinx, signaling potential challenges for the project.
Worcester County, Maryland, officials are moving to implement a one-year moratorium on new data centers and cable landing stations. County commissioners approved a motion by Commissioner Eric Fiori in a 6-0 vote, with the final resolution slated for a vote at the July 21 meeting. The proposed pause aims to give newly elected commissioners time to research best practices, as the county currently lacks specific code addressing these facilities and faces resource constraints.
Environmental program head Bob Mitchell highlighted significant concerns, including potential air pollution, high noise levels from generators, substantial electricity demand, and massive water and wastewater usage, at a time when the county struggles with wastewater capacity. Commissioner Fiori, representing West Ocean City, stated the county "physically don’t have the resources" and initially sought a total ban, which was rejected, before the moratorium motion was passed.
Amidst this, a proposed 25,000-square-foot cable landing station by Virginia Beach-based developer Globalinx is currently under county review for a site near West Ocean City. The project has drawn considerable opposition from residents along Route 611 and descendants of a nearby historic African American cemetery, with Commissioner Fiori vowing to fight it. The county's planning officials previously rejected Globalinx's argument that the facility should be classified as a public utility, and a hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled for August 19.
Other Maryland counties, including Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Calvert, Prince George's, and Frederick (which recently enacted a six-month freeze), have already taken action on data center development. Maryland is also preparing a comprehensive analytical report on data centers for the governor and legislature by September 1, indicating broader state-level scrutiny of the industry.