Chelmsford Town Meeting OKs bylaw banning medium and large data centers
Chelmsford Town Meeting approved a bylaw prohibiting medium and large data centers based on their size and power consumption. Smaller facilities remain allowed in certain commercial and industrial zones under specified conditions, including special permits.
Chelmsford Town Meeting approved bylaw 118-6, which prohibits medium data centers using up to 3 megawatts and large data centers using more than 3 megawatts of power. The rules also cover facility size and generator-fuel storage capacity, while allowing smaller and accessory data centers in designated commercial and industrial zones.
Planning Board Chair Chris Lavallee said the bylaw is intended to preserve smaller data centers that support businesses while preventing large-scale facilities. The debate was influenced by scrutiny of the Markley Group facility in neighboring Lowell, which uses about 40 megawatts and would exceed Chelmsford’s new threshold. Some town representatives, including Sam Poulten, said the rules should impose tighter limits on generators serving small data centers.