Westerly council directs solicitor to draft temporary moratorium on data‑center applications

The Westerly Town Council voted June 22 to direct the town solicitor to prepare a temporary moratorium on new data‑center applications while the Planning Department considers zoning amendments.

Solicitor Connley reviewed a memo that outlined zoning approaches used in other communities and explained legal limits for a moratorium: it must be temporary, have a fixed end date and include legislative findings justifying the pause. "First of all, it has to be temporary with a fixed length or an end date," he said, adding that moratoria should include findings about administrative need and resource concerns.

Councilors cited concerns about heavy water use and electrical load from large data‑center campuses and said they wanted time for a fuller planning review and community input. After discussion, councilors voted to have the solicitor prepare moratorium language for council review that would pause accepting or acting on new data‑center applications while planners draft ordinance options.

The solicitor and planning staff will prepare draft moratorium text and a recommended timeframe; the council said any moratorium would avoid affecting applicants with already‑vested rights.