Data center ban to be discussed ahead of Fall Town Meeting

MIDDLEBORO – Life for people who have had data centers built near them recently has changed drastically over the past few years. Residents complain about high noise levels and even higher utility bills.

Middleboro residents will be able to choose to prevent that from becoming a reality at the Fall Town Meeting.

The data center ban is one of three bylaws that residents will be able to vote on. They will be able to comment on the three laws at an upcoming Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6

Director of Planning and Community Development Leeann Bradley said that the proposal was discussed by both the Planning Board and the Planning Department over the past year. She said that it was a “preemptive” effort to get ahead of any potential data centers that could come to Middleboro.

Bradley said she does not know of any data centers planned in Middleboro at this time.

Middleboro is not alone in questioning whether it wants data centers within its borders. Mansfield became the first town to pass heavy restrictions on data center construction at its May Town Meeting. Holyoke followed two months later. East Bridgewater will vote on a similar ban during its Fall Town Meeting.

The state government has also put a check on data center construction. An executive order signed by Gov. Maura Healey in September said developers need approval from the town before they can receive permits from state agencies to build data centers.

The other zoning bylaws to be discussed at the Oct. 6 hearings include an addition to the Battery Energy Storage Systems Bylaw and a rezoning of four lots from residential to general use. 

The Planning Department will make the drafts of these bylaws public before Oct. 6.