Data Center Signal is tracking 4 clips about Hanton City Investments data center developments across 1 states, including RI.
Investors Hanton City Investments and ROK, LLC, are challenging Smithfield’s denial of their proposed business park and data center. The developers have appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals and filed a lawsuit seeking to reverse the town’s decision, arguing their application was submitted before Smithfield adopted a data center ban.
Rhode Island towns like Smithfield and Westerly are implementing local bans and moratoriums on data center construction following a deadlock in state-level legislation. These actions come as New York enacted a statewide moratorium and local communities grapple with the significant electricity and water demands of data centers. Developers in Smithfield, Hanton City Investments, submitted an application just before a zoning amendment passed and are appealing a certificate of incompleteness.
Rhode Island lawmakers considered two bills related to data center tax breaks and electricity costs, both of which failed to pass. In Smithfield, a proposed data center development by Hanton City Investments and ROK LLC faced a town-wide ban and an application deemed incomplete, leading to an appeal by the developers. The debate highlights the economic trade-offs of data center tax incentives versus limited job creation and high demands for electricity and water.
Smithfield, Rhode Island, is considering a two-year moratorium on data centers through a zoning amendment, driven by local concerns. Simultaneously, the Rhode Island General Assembly is actively debating multiple bills aimed at defining, regulating, and potentially offering tax breaks for data centers, focusing on their significant electricity and water consumption and impact on the state's power grid.