Data Centers | March 23, 2026
Maine lawmakers prepare to vote on a statewide data center moratorium; East Whiteland's planning commission sends a 60% expansion to supervisors after hundreds pack a fiery meeting.
At A Glance 🔽
- Maine legislature prepares to vote on a statewide moratorium bill to pause data center development while studying grid and environmental impacts.
- East Whiteland, PA planning commission advances a 60% data center expansion to supervisors.
- South Strabane, PA planners recommend supervisors approve a data center ordinance.
- Yorkville, IL nears settlement in a resident's lawsuit challenging the 1,037-acre Project Cardinal data center.
- Montvale, NJ faces a choice between 250 housing units and a data center on a 34-acre former KPMG campus.
- Wixom, MI planning commission drafts a data center ordinance with water usage restrictions and residential siting protections.
- Jefferson County, MO planning commission unanimously approves data center regulations including a 1,000-foot residential setback.
MAINE
Maine lawmakers are preparing to vote on a bill that would impose a statewide moratorium on data centers. The bill's sponsor says the pause is temporary, designed to give the state time to build a regulatory framework and study likely impacts before data centers arrive. The bill faces votes in both chambers.
EAST WHITELAND
Pennsylvania
East Whiteland's Planning Commission voted to advance an amended data center plan to the Board of Supervisors, stopping short of a full recommendation. The amended plan from Sentinel Data Centers and Green Fig Land LLC would increase the facility's footprint by roughly 60%, bringing it to more than 1.6 million square feet on a remediated Superfund site along Swedesford Road.
The commission forwarded the plan without endorsement, noting it complied with local ordinances and prior zoning approvals dating to 2018. A February meeting on the same proposal had to be halted when the crowd exceeded the room's occupancy limits. The developers said the changes would update the 2024-approved design with modern technology, including waterless chillers to reduce water use. The proposal now heads to the township supervisors.
SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP
Pennsylvania
South Strabane's planning commission voted Thursday to recommend that supervisors adopt a new data center ordinance, with the caveat that further changes may follow based on public comment. The ordinance includes a community benefit agreement provision requiring developers to pay the township for police, fire, and infrastructure costs, though it sets no minimum payment amount.
A public hearing before the board of supervisors is scheduled for March 31.
YORKVILLE
Illinois
Yorkville is close to settling a resident's lawsuit challenging the 1,037-acre Project Cardinal data center. At a March 20 hearing before Judge Robert Pilmer in Kendall County, attorneys for all parties reported "substantial progress" with only minor issues remaining. The judge scheduled a continuance to April 10.
Resident John Bryan filed the lawsuit in October 2025, arguing the campus of 14 two-story warehouses, to be built over more than 10 years by developer Pioneer Development LLC, would harm property values and quality of life. Yorkville envisions approximately 3,000 acres along the Eldamain Corridor for data center development, with around a dozen projects either approved, under review, or in inquiry stages.
MONTVALE
New Jersey
Montvale faces a decision on a 34-acre former KPMG campus at 51 Chestnut Ridge Road: a data center or 250 residential units, 50 of which would be designated affordable housing. Under a settlement agreement, developer SHG Montvale MB VI can choose between the two options.
The Fair Share Housing Center argues the settlement lets the developer dodge housing obligations by opting for tax-advantaged commercial development. Borough officials say Montvale has already exceeded affordable housing requirements, with 365 affordable units currently built in town. The data center option would include a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement. Montvale leads a coalition of suburban towns challenging the state's housing rules in court.
WIXOM
Michigan
Wixom's Planning Commission is drafting a data center ordinance to get ahead of the issues other Michigan communities have faced. The proposed rules would restrict data center water usage, require air, hybrid, or closed-loop cooling, and bar facilities from locating adjacent to residential property.
Wixom's 18.24.030 - Definitions C-D.
Wixom's draft ordinance would apply to facilities in industrial research office and M-1/M-2 industrial districts.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Missouri
Jefferson County's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved data center regulations at its March 12 meeting, with several amendments strengthening the initial draft. Commissioners capped building height at 50 feet across all zones (down from 80 feet in urban growth areas) and extended the residential setback to 1,000 feet. The rules now go to County Council for final approval.
The regulations also limit generator testing to one hour per month per unit and require annual emissions reports, water discharge testing, and facility inspections to be published on a dedicated county web page.
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