Data Centers in Rural Prince George’s?
Prince George's County residents expressed frustration after the planning board gave an ambiguous response to a proposed zoning change that could allow data centers in rural areas. Despite staff opposition and an existing two-year moratorium, the board neither recommended nor opposed the change. This indecision has left the community disappointed and the future of data center development in the county uncertain.
Residents of Prince George's County, Maryland, are frustrated following a non-committal decision by the county's planning board regarding a proposed zoning change for data centers. The planning board did not outright approve or deny a measure that would allow data centers in rural and agricultural residential areas while outlawing them from dense residential zones, leaving the community in limbo.
The contentious zoning change was initially sent to the planning board by the county council in June. During a hearing before the county's zoning board, dozens of speakers voiced their opposition to the proposal. The planning board staff also recommended against the change, citing a recently enacted two-year moratorium on data center planning in the county.
Despite the strong public and staff opposition, the planning board voted unanimously neither to recommend nor to oppose the zoning change, instead opting to pass along only the staff's opposition. This outcome, described by reporter Matt Gregory as a "lukewarm response," left residents feeling disappointed and without a clear direction on future data center development within the county.