Prince George's County council hears task force report urging stricter controls, community benefits for data centers

Prince George's County Council members heard a detailed briefing on Jan. 27 from the Qualified Data Centers Task Force and planning staff that lays out policy options to manage future data‑center development in the county.

The task force co‑chair, Anthony Jones, told the council that the group completed a 400‑plus page report after four community meetings and thousands of public comments and concluded that the county should require higher energy‑efficiency standards, stronger community benefits and meaningful public input for proposed sites. "Data centers should be held to high energy efficiency standards, and data centers that locate in the county should also provide community benefits to the county," Jones said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Residents and council members cited worries about rising utility rates, water usage, generator emissions and neighborhood impacts. County planners and consultants from Gensler presented a menu of options — including special‑use exceptions, plan development reviews, overlay districts, and community benefits agreements — rather than a single prescription. The task force also recommended monitoring and disclosure requirements for energy, water and noise and urged mapping exercises to identify suitable industrial or brownfield locations before allowing large projects.

The report lists four priority areas: (1) additional capital funding for regional transit (a separate DMV Moves request estimated a planning‑level $460 million per year regionally), (2) stronger bus and commuter‑rail funding, (3) coordinated service among local bus systems, and (4) land‑use and operational policies specific to data centers. Evan Totes of the Gensler consulting team said the recommendations are a "menu of options" to help the council decide how restrictive or permissive to be.

Council members pressed staff on specifics. Councilmember Jernoga asked whether planners had identified brownfield or industrial sites large enough to host significant data‑center campuses; the consultant said mapping and site selection would be a necessary next step. Heather Erwiller of the planning department said the county has more direct control over water and sewer siting than it does over electric transmission and recommended that the council request infrastructure‑capacity mapping as part of follow‑up work. "We really need to be looking at where the utilities are available," she said.

Environmental and health concerns were raised repeatedly. Councilmember Olsen and others asked about backup generators, often diesel, and the air‑quality impacts of weekly generator testing and operations; the presenters said jurisdictions are beginning to require sustainable operations plans and emissions monitoring but that cleaner alternatives at hyperscale are not yet widespread.

Public reaction and next steps: Dozens of residents spoke during the briefing and asked the council to pause approvals, require cumulative air‑quality studies, and impose community benefit and workforce‑development commitments on developers. Task‑force presenters noted that the county executive already extended a moratorium on new data‑center approvals through April 30 to give the council time to consider legislation. The task force and planning staff recommended that the council follow up with targeted mapping, an economic analysis of expected revenue vs. costs, and draftable code amendments identifying which tools (special exception, plan development, overlay district) the council prefers.

The council did not take legislative action at the briefing; presenters said the report is intended to inform the council's next steps and that staff will return with mapping and implementation plans if the council asks.