Data Centers | March 16, 2026
Lowell enacts Massachusetts' first moratorium. Fairfax County land sale draws scrutiny. Oakley developer drops data centers from project. READ MORE.
At A Glance 🔽
- Lowell, MA enacts state's first data center moratorium.
- Fairfax County, VA environmental groups challenge $166.8M land sale they suspect will become a data center site.
- Mesa, AZ approves EdgeCore's downsized 1.2M-sq-ft data center after original plan.
- Oakley, CA developer pulls data centers from 164-acre Bridgehead project after community pushback; council approves.
- Manitowoc County, WI schedules March 30 public hearing on proposed 12-month moratorium.
- Hildebran, NC updates zoning for DigiPower X's planned 200-MW AI data center on 40 acres.
- Moore County, TN considers two-year countywide moratorium on data centers and crypto mining.
- Franklin County, MO faces two data center rezoning requests on ag land; seven-generation family farm caught in the middle.
- Lower Saucon Township, PA drafts ordinance with conditional use rules, 300-foot setbacks, and geothermal cooling recommendations.
- Tallmadge, OH sets April 13 hearing on six-month moratorium; no applications pending.
LOWELL, Massachusetts
Lowell became the first city in Massachusetts to enact a data center moratorium, imposing a one-year freeze on new development or expansion with a possible 180-day extension.
The move directly affects the Markley Group's 352,000-square-foot facility, the state's largest, built on the former Prince Macaroni factory site. Markley had sought permits for 27 diesel generators and 16 cooling towers in the Sacred Heart neighborhood.
A citizen group filed an appeal of the air permit last July. Residents pointed to $77 million in tax breaks yielding roughly 30 local jobs. Union workers showed up in support of the facility, wearing shirts that read "Protect local jobs."
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Virginia
Environmental groups are challenging a proposed $166.8 million sale of 41.7 acres of county-owned land to Starwood Capital Group in Chantilly. The site currently houses police training grounds, including a firearms range and driver training area. The county says no data center proposal exists and that the sale proceeds would fund a new Criminal Justice Academy. Environmental groups believe the sale all but guarantees data center construction. The nearest homes are about 3,000 feet away, with the closest school 1.3 miles out. A public hearing is set for March 17.
MESA, Arizona
EdgeCore's data center in southeast Mesa won approval after the developer cut its original 2.1 million-square-foot plan by 800,000 square feet to make room for SRP's expanded energy substation.
The Planning and Zoning Board approved the revised project on consent agenda. The new plan calls for two 618,480-square-foot buildings instead of three 95-foot structures. The site sits between Apple and Meta data centers on Mesa's technology corridor, where 15 data centers have been built, approved, or proposed on 1,500 acres in under a decade. Conditions include a noise analysis, generator testing limited to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and FAA review due to proximity to Mesa Gateway Airport.
OAKLEY, California
JB2 Partners pulled data centers from the 164-acre Bridgehead Industrial Project after facing intense community opposition. The developer shifted the project to light-industrial warehouses and logistics buildings only.
The City Council voted to approve the modified plan around midnight. The site borders single-family homes, Big Break Regional Shoreline, and Big Break Marina. The revised project is expected to add $1.1 million to $1.4 million annually to the city's general fund and generate roughly 3,500 permanent jobs. Dozens of residents had voiced concerns about electricity and water strain during public comment.
MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wisconsin
Manitowoc County's Planning and Park Commission scheduled a public hearing for March 30 on a proposed 12-month data center moratorium. The ordinance would pause all permit applications and approvals county-wide.
Three towns, Mishicot, Two Creeks, and Two Rivers, requested the moratorium in February, each passing their own resolution citing health and safety concerns, infrastructure strain, and effects on farmland and natural resources. Board Chairperson Tyler Martell confirmed the issue remains active.
HILDEBRAN, North Carolina
Hildebran's Town Council updated zoning ordinances during a special meeting, replacing "Cryptocurrency Mining" with "Critical Infrastructure Facilities" in its code.
Read more about Hildebran's Zoning Ordinance, most recently updated March 11, 2026.
The change clears a path for DigiPower X, which plans a 200-megawatt AI data center on 40 acres adjacent to a Duke Energy substation and the Norfolk Southern Railway. Investment could range from $200 million to $500 million, with construction potentially starting around 2028 or 2029. This would be DigiPower X's largest facility. The company currently operates smaller sites in Columbiana, Alabama; North Tonawanda, New York; and Buffalo, New York. Burke County is already home to data centers run by Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.
MOORE COUNTY, Tennessee
Moore County's Metro Council is holding its first reading Monday of an ordinance that would impose a two-year moratorium on data centers, cryptocurrency mining, and other high-impact processing facilities countywide.
The Metro Planning Commission recommended the pause. If passed through two required readings, the moratorium takes effect April 20, 2026 and runs through April 19, 2028. During that window, the county must study energy, water, noise, and land use impacts, draft new performance standards, and hold public workshops. The freeze covers special use permits, conditional use permits, zoning amendments, and building permits, with a carve-out only for interior renovations.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Missouri
Two data center projects return to the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 17, both seeking to rezone agricultural land for industrial use. Gateway Digital Campus, proposed near Villa Ridge off Interstate 44, sits next to Rock U Ranch, a cattle farm that has been in the same family for seven generations.
The commission tabled Gateway in January for six months, but the developer brought it back in under two months. Developer Provident Data Centers cited 1,000-foot open-space buffers and zero-increase noise and light standards in a letter to the county. A Beltline Energy project south of Pacific is also on the agenda. The meeting will include discussion of new county-level data center regulations.
LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania
Lower Saucon's Planning Commission reviewed a draft data center ordinance designed to regulate, not prohibit, the use. The draft designates data centers as conditional uses in the Light Manufacturing zone and was modeled after a Poconos-area municipality's ordinance. Commissioners recommended increasing residential setbacks from 200 to 300 feet and roof-mounted equipment setbacks from 300 to 400 feet from roads.
The ordinance requires a 100-foot landscape buffer with a 25-foot vegetative planting row. Commissioners also discussed requiring closed-loop geothermal cooling systems and raised fire suppression concerns. The commission voted unanimously to forward the draft to Township Council, targeting April for passage.
TALLMADGE, Ohio
Tallmadge City Council will hold a public hearing April 13 on a proposed six-month data center moratorium. City Law Director Megan Raber said no applications are pending and described the effort as proactive.
🔗Tallmadge 2026-38 Data Center Moratorium
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