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Public commenters urge clarity on data‑center approvals as council introduces land‑use bills
Summary
Several public speakers urged the council to move decisively on data centers and to provide permitting clarity so projects don’t go to other jurisdictions; the council introduced CB19‑2026 to repeal a qualified data‑center exemption and CB20‑2026 to require pre‑application neighborhood meeting transparency.
Members of the public using the council’s request‑to‑speak period urged Prince George’s County to clarify its process for data‑center permitting, citing jobs and tax revenue as potential benefits but asking for clear timelines and public engagement so developers and residents understand the path to approvals.
At the start of public comment, Beverly Johnson asked the council to enable permitting progress and to clarify approvals prior to summer so companies will invest in Prince George’s County. Several other speakers repeated that theme and called for transparent process steps so landowners and small businesses can capture economic opportunities.
Council staff introduced multiple land‑use bills early in the session. The chair read first readings including CB 19‑2026, an ordinance concerning use and regulations for qualified data centers that would repeal an exemption for detailed site plan review; and CB 20‑2026, relating to pre‑application neighborhood meetings and requiring the planning department to publish a searchable database of informational notifications and to ensure electronic notices meet web accessibility guidelines.
Greg Smith, representing Sustainable Hyattsville, spoke in opposition to unfettered data center development and urged a pause until the county has completed analyses of net fiscal impact, environmental and public‑health effects and grid impacts; he cited the existing single hyperscale approval in Landover as lacking full technical assessment.
Council members did not take final action on the ordinances during the session; the chair referred the measures to the appropriate committees. Members and staff signaled an intent to balance economic development with more rigorous analysis and public engagement. The transcript records multiple committee referrals and requests for additional transparency and neighborhood notification tools.
The council approved the consent agenda and moved several bills into committee; a separate briefing later in the meeting addressed water demand and infrastructure implications for potential data center customers.
No final votes on data‑center regulation were recorded at this meeting; first readings and committee referrals were entered into the record.
