Pittsfield Considers Banning Data Centers for 2 Years
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A temporary data center moratorium is before the City Council. If adopted, it would halt the development of these facilities until the end of 2028.
At last Tuesday's meeting, the moratorium was referred to the Ordinances and Rules subcommittee under Rule 27. Earlier this month, the Community Development Board unanimously voted to become petitioner.
"We've already been discussing this as a board, and then City Council also actually petitioned us to investigate this moratorium," City Planner Kevin Rayner said at the board's Sept. 15 meeting.
This aims to allow Pittsfield time to analyze the potential impacts of data center development on local infrastructure and resources, and develop responsible regulations for permitting and siting. The petition would amend City Code Chapter 23 and create Article 23-4 Section 4.332, "Data Center, Temporary Moratorium."
Local communities now have an established right to press pause on data centers. Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order earlier this month that gives municipalities the power to say "no" to data centers.
Based on web results, there are as many as 75 data centers or projects in Massachusetts, none in Berkshire County.
"This temporary moratorium is designed to give us time to think as a city about how we want to adapt and regulate and possibly in the future permit these data centers to exist in Pittsfield," Rayner said.
"And balance the possible benefits of data center development against the immense risks to our resources. Our local resources, our local infrastructure-not just on a city scale, but on a county scale as well."
It defines a data center as a building or group of buildings where the primary use is to house computer systems, servers, data storage equipment, networking equipment, and associated infrastructure necessary for the processing, storage, and distribution of data and digital applications.
During the moratorium's period, Pittsfield will not accept building permits, special permits, site plan reviews, or any other zoning or land use approvals for a data center.
The proposed moratorium gives a temporary period from adoption to Dec. 31, 2028 or until "reasonable" regulations for data centers are adopted by City Council. During this time, the Community Development Board and city can better understand the possible effects on energy and resource consumption and observe how other communities react.
Rayer pointed out that Pittsfield is the urban heart of Berkshire County and "needs to take some proactive precautions against this development because any development at this point could be pretty severe in terms of its impact on city and county resources and infrastructure."
"I think that this is a proactive step," he told the Community Development Board earlier this month.
"This is a wise step that we're taking to get ahead of this and just give us a couple of years to really analyze the impacts on other communities, research what other communities have done to adapt their regulations to data centers, and really take a good look at solutions to this problem."
Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren had petitioned for the board to explore implementing a moratorium on the establishment and siting of data centers. In his request, he wrote that "This is one of those uses that the public would best be served by careful oversight of the City. A moratorium would allow the city to prevent any businesses from taking advantage of the lack of any zoning regulations."
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