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Planning staff outlines Industrial Park zoning updates for data centers and battery energy storage
Summary
Mimi, a staff member who joined the committee by phone, explained proposed updates to the Industrial Park district to add data centers and battery energy storage systems; she said state regulations limit local regulation by treating certain battery systems as a 'do' use and that the town has not seen local interest for large data centers.
Mimi (staff member, name as used in the transcript), who joined the meeting by phone, explained why the draft amendment updates the Industrial Park district. She said the code had not been updated since the 1980s and the proposed language would add battery energy storage systems and data centers as explicit uses in order to define guard rails and clearer local standards.
Mimi described a state regulatory change that affects local authority: “they're considered a a do use if they get even you know 1% of their energy from solar. They're considered a a do use which means that they um they can't be denied,” she said, adding that for very large battery facilities the state is developing additional regulations. She told the committee the change in state treatment constrains how much a municipality can deny or condition these systems.
On data centers, Mimi said she had not heard of any current local interest in hosting large-scale cloud providers and noted that providers often locate where low-cost hydroelectric power is available. The committee concluded the IP District zoning update is primarily a planning/select board matter and not squarely within the Municipal Technology Committee’s purview; they invited further public‑education materials and FAQs ahead of the select board discussion.
Next steps: committee members suggested preparing educational materials (FAQ) and coordinating with the planning/land‑use staff and select board so town residents can understand the proposed code changes and the constraints imposed by state regulations.
