Data center zoning back on Lowell’s agenda
Lowell officials are preparing zoning options for data centers after approving a 360-day moratorium on new or expanded facilities. The effort is driven largely by debate over the expansion of Markley’s Lowell campus, with residents divided and a lawsuit involving Markley entities and the city agreed to be dismissed.
Lowell’s Department of Planning and Development is holding a second public engagement session on data center zoning as the city updates its more than 20-year-old zoning code. Assistant City Manager and DPD Director Yovani Baez-Rose said the meeting will focus exclusively on data centers after an earlier forum became contentious. The City Council is expected to consider options that would either cap future data center growth at 15 megawatts with climate-friendly infrastructure or prohibit data centers in all zoning districts.
The debate centers on Markley’s large colocation facility in Lowell’s Sacred Heart neighborhood. Markley Group has invested at least $650 million in the campus since acquiring the former Prince Pasta plant, while neighborhood opposition has focused on expansion, noise, utility impacts and infrastructure concerns. Existing Markley developments would be grandfathered under the proposed rules. Markley Lowell LLC and Tanner Street Investco LLC sued the city over whether the moratorium applied to their projects, but the parties later agreed to dismiss the case by joint stipulation. Markley CEO Jeff Markley says many nearby residents support the facility, while public comments submitted to the city include calls to prohibit data centers in Lowell.