Data Center Text Amendment In The Works, Will Be Evaluated By Planning Commission

Calvert County, Maryland is continuing its work on a text amendment regarding data centers, as discussed at the March 10 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. The Department of Planning and Zoning presented a second version of draft text amendments, hoping to put guidance in place for any future data centers that may want to come to Calvert County. The text amendments will be added to the county's zoning ordinance to give data centers specific laws and guidelines they must follow. Currently, Calvert County's zoning rules do not have any language specific to data centers, which can create uncertainty and ambiguity around new types of businesses. The BOCC opted to have the Planning and Zoning Department bring the text amendment to the Planning Commission for review, before returning to the board at a future meeting for further consideration. Some county commissioners, like Mike Hart, expressed reservations about adopting a text amendment before more is known about data centers' impacts on the community and environment. However, the Planning and Zoning Director argued that Calvert has already put more parameters around data centers than most places in Maryland, and the goal is to ensure there is specific code for them to follow.