Calvert Commissioners To Consider Next Step On Data Centers

Calvert County commissioners are scheduled to convene on Tuesday to deliberate on the future of data center development within the county. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will consider three main approaches: enacting a countywide ban on data centers, extending the current six-month moratorium, or adopting more stringent regulations for their construction and operation. While commissioners will discuss these options, they are not expected to make a final decision or vote on any permanent changes at this work session.

The upcoming discussion follows the BOCC's unanimous approval of a six-month moratorium on data center applications in August. This interim measure was put in place after Amazon Web Services (AWS) withdrew its conceptual site development plan for a data center in Lusby. The agenda for Tuesday's meeting indicates that there are no active applicants or pending data center projects currently under consideration.

Prepared materials for the work session outline four potential paths for the commissioners. These include extending the existing moratorium for up to two years, implementing a permanent countywide prohibition on data centers, rezoning specific Heavy Industrial properties to restrict data center use, or allowing data centers under new, stricter development standards. The proposed regulations, outlined in Text Amendment 26-23, would introduce rules concerning water usage, noise levels, setbacks, electrical infrastructure requirements, backup generators, screening, and decommissioning plans. Notably, it would prohibit the use of wells for cooling and mandate developers to cover costs for electrical upgrades.