Calvert Moves to Ban Data Centers in Every Zoning District - -
The Calvert County Planning Commission advanced a proposal to prohibit data centers in every zoning district to a public hearing. The proposed permanent ban follows a six-month moratorium, Amazon's withdrawal of plans for three data centers near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, and organized resident opposition.
The Calvert County Planning Commission voted Oct. 21 to send Text Amendment 26-31 to a public hearing. The amendment would remove data centers from the I-1 and I-2 industrial districts and explicitly prohibit them in every zoning district. The Board of County Commissioners would make the final decision after separate public hearings.
The proposal would replace the county's current six-month moratorium with a permanent prohibition if adopted. The moratorium was approved in August after Amazon withdrew plans for three data centers near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby. Residents have organized against data center development, with organizer Melissa Emmal saying more than 10,000 signatures had been collected.
The county has shelved an earlier amendment that would have allowed data centers under new conditions and restrictions. Officials are also reviewing a proposal to return 1,352 acres of industrial land near Calvert Cliffs and other sites to previous zoning designations. No hearing dates had been set, and the moratorium remains in effect while the ban advances.