Nottingham residents say they don’t want a data center in town. The planning board is listening.

Nottingham, New Hampshire residents have voiced strong opposition to data center development in their town, prompting the local planning board to take action. Following significant public backlash against a proposal by local entrepreneur Tom Moulton to build a data center off Route 4, Moulton withdrew his application just hours before a scheduled meeting.

Despite the withdrawal of the specific project, concerned community members continued to advocate for a ban on all future data centers. In response, Planning Board Chair Drew Stevens announced steps to impose a temporary 12-month moratorium on data center construction. This draft moratorium is currently undergoing legal review by the town counsel, after which it will be voted on by the planning board, followed by a public hearing. Ultimately, the select board will decide whether to hold a special town meeting for voters to directly enact the ban.

Additionally, the planning board voted to establish a subcommittee dedicated to revising zoning ordinances and performance standards related to data centers. This committee aims to present recommended zoning changes for a town vote next spring, during the annual town meeting. Residents have raised concerns ranging from potential threats to water quality and skyrocketing energy costs to increased strain on emergency services, diminished property values, and noise and light pollution.

The article also notes that while a Democratic-led effort to regulate data center construction at the state level in New Hampshire failed, towns like Canterbury have already changed zoning to ban data centers. This leaves municipalities to manage data center regulations on their own.