As more CT towns fight data centers, developer in central CT community pitches the benefits
Connecticut communities are adopting or considering restrictions on data centers as residents voice concerns about power use, water, noise and development impacts. In Cromwell, a proposed 300-megawatt facility has not yet been formally filed, while new regulations that could sharply limit its size and require a school buffer are scheduled for review.
Residents and officials across Connecticut are pushing back against data center development. East Lyme’s zoning board recently prohibited data centers, while Morris, Trumbull, New Haven, Waterford, West Haven and Groton have adopted bans or temporary moratoriums. In Trumbull, opponents unsuccessfully sought to extend the town’s two-year moratorium to expansions, which would affect the planned $200 million cogNovum enlargement of an existing facility.
In Cromwell, O,R&L Commercial is promoting a proposed 1.2 million-square-foot, 300-megawatt data center on Gardner Nurseries’ property off Geer Street. Broker Jay Morris said the project could operate using an Algonquin gas pipeline and on-site fuel cells, avoid additional grid demand and water use, preserve open space, and generate tax revenue. Mayor James Demetriades posted proposed regulations from resident Juan Duque that would impose safety, noise and vibration standards, cap data centers at 100,000 square feet and require a one-mile buffer from schools; the Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to consider them Dec. 3.