Bloomfield, CT Bans Data Centers and Battery Storage
Bloomfield, Connecticut, adopted zoning amendments prohibiting data centers and battery energy storage facilities in every zoning district. The rules block an informal proposal by Atlas Capital Group for a facility of roughly 900,000 to 1 million square feet, amid broader concerns about water use, electricity demand, noise and impacts on residents.
Bloomfield adopted townwide zoning amendments that prohibit data centers as principal, accessory or mixed-use developments in every zoning district, while also banning battery energy storage facilities. The action affects an informal proposal from New York-based Atlas Capital Group for a data center at 132 Griffin Road North on a vacant 44-acre former tobacco field. Descriptions of the concept ranged from about 900,000 square feet of data-center space with a 127,000-square-foot substation to a roughly 1-million-square-foot facility.
The ban follows similar action by East Lyme, whose zoning commission voted to permanently prohibit traditional and artificial-intelligence data centers and cited concerns about water supplies, noise and effects on nearby residents. Connecticut critics have also raised concerns about electricity use and utility costs, while Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff has said he plans to introduce a statewide moratorium on AI data centers. The state continues to offer tax incentives intended to attract large data-center investments.