Brookhaven Town Board Votes Unanimously to Halt Data Centers

The Brookhaven Town Board voted unanimously to impose an 18-month moratorium on data centers within the town, aligning with a statewide executive order signed by Governor Kathy Hochul. The decision came after a public hearing in Farmingville, where a significant number of residents voiced concerns regarding the potential impact of data centers on local water supplies, electrical capacity, noise levels, and neighborhood character.

Residents like Sonja Urrico, living near a proposed facility in Yaphank, called for independent environmental studies. Lynne Maher, another local, highlighted the difficulty of removing such facilities once built.

Michael Bowden, director of development for Wildflower, the company behind a proposed $1 billion, 549,000-square-foot data center campus in Yaphank, argued that existing state environmental review processes were adequate. He emphasized that the project would create thousands of construction jobs and contribute millions annually in property taxes to the Longwood School District.

The moratorium will allow town planners 18 months to create new zoning regulations addressing data center siting, environmental mitigation, and their integration with local water and power infrastructure. Governor Hochul's statewide executive order, enacted on July 14, introduced the nation's first moratorium on hyperscale data centers (requiring 50 megawatts or more), citing the need to protect New York's power grid for other major users like the Micron semiconductor plant. Empire State Development has been tasked with developing a community investment framework to ensure new data centers fund local infrastructure improvements. Critics, including trade groups, warned that these bans could divert investment and jobs to other states.