Inside the tense City Hall hearing over Baltimore’s data center future
Baltimore residents strongly opposed a proposed zoning bill that would require health equity assessments before data center construction, with many calling instead for a complete ban. The bill would take effect after the city’s current data center development moratorium ends next June and subject projects to a more extensive conditional-use review.
Dozens of Baltimore residents attended a City Council hearing on Councilperson Phylicia Porter’s proposed data center zoning bill, which would require health equity assessments and move projects from by-right approval into the conditional-use process. Speakers cited environmental impacts, higher electric rates and broader concerns about artificial intelligence, while nearly 9,000 people have signed an online petition supporting a citywide data center ban.
Porter described the measure as an initial regulatory step and said it would apply after Baltimore’s development moratorium expires next June. Council President Zeke Cohen controls whether a complete ban can be introduced. Brookings Institution fellow Mark Muro supported using the moratorium to develop planning rules but warned that an outright ban could deny the city potential economic benefits and community investments from developers.