Westfield City Council Enacts One-Year Data Center Moratorium Amid Opposition
The Westfield City Council in Massachusetts has unanimously enacted a one-year moratorium on new data centers, five years after approving a large Servistar Realties project. Residents are concerned about environmental impacts, including water and electricity usage, and are vowing to fight the already approved project. Meanwhile, Governor Maura Healey has introduced new requirements for data centers to receive state tax breaks.
In Westfield, Massachusetts, the City Council recently voted unanimously to enact a one-year moratorium on new data center developments. This decision comes after a significant increase in public opposition against a previously approved $4 billion data center project by Servistar Realties, which had received initial approval and property tax breaks in 2021. Residents, including former city councilor Mary Ann Babinski and current councilor Kristen Mello, express concerns about potential strains on local water supplies, spikes in electric rates, and air pollution from backup generators, particularly impacting the Barnes Aquifer.
While the moratorium will not halt the Servistar project, which is already approved, opponents hope it is a step towards overturning its permits. Paul Corey, co-owner of Servistar Realties, maintains the company's existing plan will meet the new tough standards recently announced by Governor Maura Healey for data centers to qualify for state tax exemptions, which include limits on air/noise pollution, water consumption, and electric rate impacts. The project, planned as a 10-building campus, is expected to require 274 megawatts of electricity, making it New England's largest, with power supplied by Eversource and routed through a dedicated substation managed by municipal utility Westfield Gas & Electric.
Westfield Gas & Electric General Manager Thomas Flaherty asserts the project will not raise rates for other customers, and could even lead to lower bills by generating revenue for the utility. Servistar also plans a "closed-loop" cooling system and natural gas generators to mitigate environmental concerns. Despite proponents highlighting the industrial zoning of the site, local homeowners like Lisa Kozik and Melissa Glynn anticipate severe negative impacts on the environment and property values, with Mayor McCabe also expecting fierce opposition.