Proposed strategy would halt Montgomery County data center development

Data center development has become a topic of growing debate in Montgomery County, with residents raising concerns about issues including energy consumption, environmental impacts, land use.

Data center development in Montgomery County is facing a deliberate slowdown under a newly proposed legislative strategy, giving county officials time to establish long-term regulations for the industry.

Council President Natali Fani-González, joined by Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, said the group supports a six-month moratorium on new data center development and additional zoning restrictions on hyperscale data centers.

The announcement follows a June executive order issued by County Executive Marc Elrich that temporarily halted new data center projects in Montgomery County.

The council members proposed a plan that would give county leaders more time to develop comprehensive safeguards governing hyperscale data centers, which are large facilities that support cloud computing and artificial intelligence operations.

“We support enacting legislation to codify the moratorium,” Fani-González said in a message to residents.

Several measures related to data centers are scheduled for review next week.

The council’s Economic Development Committee, chaired by Fani-González, is set to meet July 22 to review two proposed moratorium bills, Bill 19-26 and Bill 24-26. If either measure receives committee support, it could advance to the full County Council for further discussion and possible action on July 28.

Also on July 22, the Planning, Housing and Parks Committee will review Zoning Text Amendment 26-01, which would establish definitions and regulations for data centers.

Balcombe, Sayles and Fani-González have proposed an amendment that would prohibit hyperscale data centers in all zoning districts. The council members said the amendment is intended as a temporary measure while broader regulations are developed.

Data center development has become a topic of growing debate in Montgomery County, with residents raising concerns about issues including energy consumption, environmental impacts, land use and infrastructure demands.

County officials are expected to continue discussing the proposals in the coming weeks as the legislative process moves forward.