Maryland Tech Council presents economic case for data centers and points to local policy models
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Summary
Kelly Schultz of the Maryland Tech Council presented estimates for job and tax impacts of large hyperscale data centers, cited Frederick County as an example with projected annual tax receipts at full build‑out, and described zoning and setback measures jurisdictions have used to limit and manage siting.
Kelly Schultz, chief executive officer of the Maryland Tech Council, presented slides that framed demand for data centers and summarized economic estimates and local policy approaches. Schultz used an "average" hyperscale facility of roughly 800,000 square feet as an illustrative baseline and cited several figures drawn from economic impact studies and the Quantum/Frederick example.
Schultz said an "average" large load site yields state tax revenues in the millions per year and, based on the Quantum/Frederick analysis cited in her slides, that the full Frederick County campus could generate an estimated $215,000,000 in annual local tax revenue at full build‑out. She also cited roughly $51,000,000 in recordation taxes collected at purchase on that example and an illustrative annual state revenue figure of about $14,000,000 for an average site in the presentation materials.
On environmental and community concerns, Schultz said many common worries are addressable with modern engineering and planning: closed‑loop or air‑cooling can greatly reduce local freshwater demand, noise mitigation and tree buffers can lower perceived sound impacts, and zoning/overlay tools can limit concentration. She pointed to Frederick County statutory steps that limit total data‑center land to less than 1% of county area, require an offset (presenter cited "5 acres of farmland into preservation for every 1 acre" rezoned for data‑center use) and establish setbacks (presenter cited a 500‑foot minimum from residential neighborhoods) as examples jurisdictions have used.
Schultz encouraged county staff to review external studies (including Berkeley Lab work she referenced) and offered to supply the slide deck and supporting analyses to Baltimore County for further review.
Why it matters: Those fiscal and policy examples provide Baltimore County with models for balancing potential tax benefits against land‑use and environmental concerns if the county considers accommodating data‑center development.
What to follow up: County staff asked for the underlying cost comparisons and Berkeley Lab and other cited studies; the Tech Council offered to supply them by email.
