Farmington planning board directs staff to draft rules for data centers amid water, energy and noise concerns

The Farmington Planning Board on June 17 directed planning staff to begin drafting zoning language to define and regulate data centers after members flagged potential impacts on town water, power and neighborhoods.

Chairman Rick Pelkey said the item was placed on the agenda by Planning Director Kyle Pimental to help the town be proactive after a recent, high-profile data center proposal in neighboring Nottingham drew a large public backlash and was withdrawn. Pimental told the board that, under Farmington's current ordinance, a data center would likely be treated as either a "utility" or a "commercial use not specified," uses that can be permitted by special exception through the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Pimental outlined the board's options: adopt a formal definition of "data center," designate which zoning districts could host such facilities, and select an approval pathway — by right, by special exception, or by conditional use permit. He recommended a conditional‑use permit approach to allow the Planning Board to require site-specific mitigation for local impacts such as water draw, heat, and noise.

Board members focused first on water. Pelkey referenced published figures for very large, warehouse-scale data centers and said the board needed tools to ensure any application would not harm residents. Selectmen's representative Charlie King provided local context, saying the Town "currently uses approximately 170,000 gallons per day" from its gravel-pack aquifer wells and described the town's recharge process via wastewater filtration beds. King and others noted a large data center's cooling systems could increase demand substantially; Pelkey cited an illustrative figure of roughly 100,000 gallons per day for a large facility, a number the board discussed as an approximate planning metric rather than a firm estimate.

Members also debated electrical and broadband capacity and who would pay for upgrades. King observed New England's relatively high energy costs and uncertainty about Internet backbone availability; Vice Chairman Stephen Henry said developers commonly pay for required transmission upgrades but warned that other jurisdictions have seen costs redirected to ratepayers. Member Jerry DeLemus raised concerns about broader political and economic pressures tied to AI-driven demand and urged the board to avoid allowing community costs to be externalized.

The board reached broad agreement that staff should prepare a zoning amendment package that includes a definition of data centers, a permitted‑use table identifying appropriate districts, and conditional‑use criteria focused on abutter impacts. Pimental said he would contact the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Drinking Water Bureau to explore commercial water‑use thresholds the town might adopt or incorporate. "Without something written in the zoning ordinance, an applicant could simply go before the ZBA and obtain approval as a 'commercial use not specified,'" Pelkey said, arguing for an ordinance framework that gives the town review tools.

The board did not take a formal vote on a zoning change at the meeting; members committed to recurring discussion of the topic and to develop a warrant article for a future town meeting if appropriate.