Frederick County rejects Cotelis data center benefits package amid zoning concerns
Frederick County rejected a proposed $110 million community benefits package from data center developer Cotelis because it would have shielded the company’s Frederick digital campus from new county zoning rules for at least eight years. County Executive Jessica Fitzwater also extended the pause on new data center applications, but previously approved projects can continue, leaving residents divided over the decision.
Data center developer Cotelis offered Frederick County a $110 million community benefits package tied to its Frederick digital campus. The proposal included money for Carroll Manor Elementary School, a community center and park, new equipment for the Carroll Manor Volunteer Fire Company, and other investments in the Adamstown area. Some residents, including longtime Adamstown resident Maria Roh, viewed the package as a way to address community needs while allowing development to proceed.
Opposition grew after residents learned the agreement would protect the developer from new county zoning rules for at least eight years. Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater rejected the deal, saying it came at too high a cost and that the county needed to determine how to manage a rapidly changing industry. Fitzwater extended the county’s pause on new data center applications and said she wants to wait for a new county council and Maryland’s study of data center impacts, but the pause does not affect already approved projects. Cotelis did not respond to WUSA9’s question about whether the agreement could be renegotiated, and local groups remain without the promised benefits, including a new fire tanker.