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Leominster council pauses zoning petitions on data centers and battery storage; members push for moratorium and study
Summary
Councilors continued multiple zoning petitions that would add data‑center definitions or restrict multifamily uses in MU2 and signaled support for a temporary moratorium while KP Law and technical briefings inform any ordinance changes; councilors cited potential major utility and environmental impacts.
The Leominster City Council continued a string of zoning petitions on June 22 that would define or limit data centers and battery storage, and several members urged a temporary moratorium so the city can gather legal and technical information.
Petition 64‑26 (filed by Donna Mallet) would add a definition for "data center" to the zoning ordinance; the matter was continued for public hearing on August 24. The meeting record includes a statement by the chair that she has consulted KP Law and plans to propose a year‑long moratorium on data centers and battery storage to allow a council committee and planning staff to study impacts and model appropriate zoning responses.
The council also discussed petitions 65‑26 and 66‑26, which seek changes to multifamily and mixed‑use rules in the MU2 district. The chair read a legal opinion (summarizing advice from KP Law attorneys Brian Riley and Justin Peralta) that petition 65‑26 appears to be repetitive of an earlier petition (9‑26) and therefore could be considered by the council only if the planning board recommends it. By contrast, petition 66‑26 (which would make multifamily a disallowed use in MU2) is not repetitive, so the council must consider it regardless of the planning board’s recommendation. The council set public hearings and gave further time to these petitions, generally scheduling them for August 24, 2026.
Councilors voiced strong public‑policy concerns. Councilor Bedanza described potential environmental and neighborhood impacts and cited instances recommending large buffer distances around such facilities; Councilor Elia Romero said she attended a Congressional Research Service briefing and relayed that "one data center potentially ... would utilize the same amount of electricity as the whole city of Leominster," a fact she said underlines the need for careful study. Several councilors warned of noise, generator emissions, water and electrical infrastructure strain, and possible legal complexity if firms offered incentives under confidentiality agreements.
The council’s next steps are to coordinate a legal and technical analysis (KP Law and planning staff), assemble a stakeholder committee, and consider either a moratorium or drafting stringent zoning criteria, including buffer distances, emergency planning, and special‑permit standards. Public hearings on the petitions were continued to August 24 so the planning board and staff can issue recommendations and the council can receive more detailed guidance.
