Baltimore Planning Commission weighs data center rules

The Baltimore Planning Commission convened a heated public hearing on Thursday to deliberate Council Bill 260174, a measure designed to establish rules and restrictions for data centers within the city. The bill's sponsor is advocating for its passage to implement regulations before Baltimore's current one-year data center moratorium expires next spring, highlighting that without new legislation, the city would be "fully unprotected" against uncontrolled development.

Under the proposed bill, data centers utilizing less than 10 megawatts of electricity would be permitted for conditional use in specific industrial zones, including areas near Canton and Curtis Bay. A significant requirement for zoning approval would be the completion of a health equity self-assessment study by the developer, covering pollution, drinking water, noise, and traffic impacts within a one-and-a-half-mile radius of the proposed site, with subsequent review by the City Health Department.

Opponents voiced strong objections, labeling the self-assessment as a "major conflict of interest" and asserting that economic growth should not outweigh environmental costs. One opponent advocated for a statewide ban on data centers and questioned the urgency of the legislation, suggesting that any necessary studies should be completed first. While the commission staff deemed developer-submitted assessments standard industry practice, they identified critical issues with the bill, including the Health Department's lack of staff, funding, and data rights to fulfill the bill's requirements, ultimately calling the proposed mechanism "unworkable" and offering only "the appearance of protection without the substance."