St. Mary’s County Commissioners Say No Data Center Project Has Been Proposed
St. Mary’s County commissioners said no data center project has been proposed and that a moratorium is not currently necessary. They also discussed the county’s 2050 comprehensive plan, which calls for zoning that can accommodate emerging industries such as data centers.
St. Mary’s County Commissioners Mike Hewitt and Randy Guy said during an Oct. 6 meeting that they were aware of no active data center proposal in the county and did not believe a moratorium was needed. County officials previously said a social-media site plan depicting an Equinix campus on Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville was fabricated and did not represent a submitted project.
The commissioners left open the possibility that future boards could consider data center limits. They also noted that the draft St. Mary’s 2050 Comprehensive Plan includes a goal of creating zoning for new and emerging industries, including data centers, but the plan itself would not change zoning. A broader comprehensive zoning ordinance, expected to take years, would determine where such facilities could be built. Commissioners were scheduled to vote on the plan Oct. 20.