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Commissioners discuss moratoria on storage units and ways to block large data centers
Summary
Some commissioners suggested moratoria on new storage‑unit development and discussed a targeted regulatory approach to prevent resource‑intensive uses like large data centers by labeling them as prohibited heavy industry rather than blanket bans.
Commissioners raised concerns about continued growth of storage units in town and discussed whether to consider a moratorium as part of the annual update. Several members emphasized the need for objective grounds (for example, sewer capacity limits) when using moratoria and cautioned against arbitrary prohibitions on lawful uses.
On the related topic of data centers and battery storage, commissioners said the town can address the risk by explicitly listing data centers among examples of "heavy manufacturing/industry" already prohibited in some districts. Staff said adding data centers to the list of resource‑intensive uses would be a straightforward code clarification to prevent such proposals without drafting a broad moratorium.
No formal moratorium was enacted at the meeting; the subcommittee agreed to consider targeted regulatory edits and to address storage‑unit policy in the annual update.
