Calvert County holds 'Data Centers 101' session; officials outline zoning rules, local impacts and next steps

Calvert County officials and outside experts held an informational “Data Centers 101” session at the College of Southern Maryland to explain what data centers are, how they operate and how the county would review any future proposals. County Administrator Linda Turner opened the session by saying, “This is an informational session, not a public hearing,” and confirmed, “At this point in time, there are no data center applications submitted or under review by the county.”

The meeting was intended to educate residents and describe local and state processes that would apply if a project were proposed. Kelly Schultz, CEO of the Maryland Tech Council, told attendees that data centers support growing demands for cloud services and analytics and said, “Data centers drive economic growth.” Schultz used projects in Frederick County as examples for potential economic and tax impacts and workforce connections.

Jason Brinkley, Calvert County director of planning and zoning, described a new zoning ordinance the county adopted in March that defines where and under what conditions data centers may be sited. He said heavy industrial areas (shown on the county map provided to attendees) would allow data centers subject to conditions; light-industrial areas would permit them only through a special-exception process requiring Board of Appeals approval. The ordinance requires at least a 400-foot setback from an existing residential structure (200 feet from a…