Westbrook committee refers proposed data‑center moratorium to city council; referral advances 180‑day pause for study

The Housing and Economic Development Committee voted unanimously May 18 to refer a proposed moratorium on data centers to the full City Council for first and final reading on June 1, advancing what the committee later characterized as an 180‑day pause to allow staff and the planning board to study how the city regulates data centers.

Mayor Morse introduced the proposal and said the pause would let Westbrook reassess its 2019 land‑use definition of “data center” and whether the Rock Row contract zone remains an appropriate permitted location. "This proposed moratorium gives us an opportunity to … see if the definition still meets our community's needs," the mayor said, while noting other Maine municipalities and state legislators have been debating similar measures.

Why it matters: councilors, staff and public commenters raised concerns about local water supplies, electricity demand, noise and light impacts, and opaque contracting practices that they said can limit public oversight. Several speakers urged caution and broader study before any application is accepted. "How will having that business here improve life for the people who live here?" Katie Giroux, a Westbrook resident, asked during public comment.

What the committee decided: after discussion the committee agreed to refer the moratorium to the council for placement on the June 1 agenda for first and final reading. The motion to refer — moved by Councillor Monroe and seconded by Councillor Reardon — passed on a unanimous roll‑call vote. The chair also said members would have another opportunity for public comment at the June 1 council meeting. The clerk recapped the item as an "180 day data center moratorium." (Transcript contains an earlier reference by the mayor to a "100 day" pause; council recap and subsequent comments use 180 days.)

Process and legal constraints: Cameron Ferrante, the city attorney, told councilors that changes to the land‑use ordinance require at least one public hearing before the planning board, which would then make a recommendation to the council. The mayor and several councilors discussed whether the council should give the planning board open‑ended study instructions or direct it to draft rules that would prohibit data centers outright; Mayor Morse said the framing to the planning board is negotiable.

Public comment and evidence cited: residents and a state legislator spoke in favor of a pause. Representative Sue Salisbury, who said she represents House District 128, urged the moratorium and referenced the defeated LD 307 (a bill to convene a state coordination council) and cited figures she said demonstrate data centers' resource use and grid impacts. Several written comments entered into the record raised similar concerns, including claims about large daily water draws, local temperature effects, utility‑bill impacts and noise from cooling equipment and backup generators.

Dissent and caveats: a few commenters with technical or industry backgrounds supported study but warned against an overly broad ban without clear definitions of "data center," arguing that imprecise definitions risk blocking other technical businesses. Sam Bennett and Greg Mitchell both urged clearer definitions and mitigation measures such as requiring developers to pay for infrastructure upgrades.

Next steps: the referral moves the moratorium proposal to the full City Council agenda for June 1, and—if adopted—staff and the planning board will undertake the study and return recommendations to council. The committee adjourned following the referral vote.