Chesapeake Beach Data Center Ban Prohibits Facilities Townwide
The Chesapeake Beach Town Council approved a zoning ordinance to prohibit data centers in all town zoning districts. This action follows a recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and goes further than Calvert County's temporary moratorium. The decision was made due to concerns about potential environmental effects and the unsuitability of data centers for the town's geography.
The Chesapeake Beach Town Council unanimously approved Ordinance O-26-14 on August 20, effectively banning data centers from all zoning districts within the town. The decision follows a recommendation from the Chesapeake Beach Planning and Zoning Commission, which reviewed the matter in March and May before voting in June to recommend a town-wide prohibition.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Sarah Franklin clarified that the ordinance removes data centers as a permitted use and adds them to a list of expressly prohibited uses. This action by Chesapeake Beach is more stringent than the temporary, six-month moratorium enacted by the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners on data center site plan applications earlier in August. During the public hearing, one resident spoke in favor of the ban, citing environmental concerns and the town's potential attractiveness to developers due to its proximity to power and fiber-optic infrastructure.
Councilman Daniel Duvall, who has experience working at data centers in Loudoun County, Virginia, supported the ban, stating that Chesapeake Beach lacks the necessary geography and industrial land to accommodate modern hyperscale facilities. Mayor Bruce Wahl confirmed the ordinance's approval following a voice vote with no opposition heard from the council. The prohibition becomes effective 20 days after the mayor's signature. This local decision comes amidst a broader debate in Calvert County regarding data center development, including the recent withdrawal of Amazon Web Services' Calvert Technology Center project.