Prince George's County task force focuses on zoning, power and labor as data center interest grows

Prince George's County’s Qualified Data Centers Task Force met May 14 to review where data centers are currently permitted, how utilities and site size shape feasibility, and what local labor and economic impacts might follow. Planning staff, industry consultants and union representatives told the task force that zoning, power access and water availability — not simply the zoning map — are determining whether data centers locate in the county.

The work of the task force matters because data centers can produce significant tax revenue and jobs but also require large amounts of power, may need extensive new infrastructure, and can raise community concerns when allowed near neighborhood shopping centers or town cores. Task force members asked staff for details on pending applications and scheduled three countywide community meetings to solicit resident feedback.

Planning deputy director James Hunt told the task force that under the county’s current zoning ordinance “at this point in time the data centers are permitted by right in those potential zones,” and listed the zones where qualified data centers are allowed: RR (rural residential), CGO (commercial general office), IE (industrial employment), IH (industrial heavy), Neighborhood Activity Center, and Town Activity Center (edge and core). Hunt said the planning team produced three maps showing (left) every zone that allows data centers, (middle) properties that meet a 10,000-square-foot threshold, and (right) sites considered “developable” (presented as a 10-acre minimum for greenfield capacity).

Several council members and task force participants voiced alarm…