East Granby adds data‑center language to zoning, strikes explicit 'AI' wording

The East Granby Planning and Zoning Commission voted July 14 to adopt zoning language that defines "data centers" and to remove an explicit reference to "AI" in the section text.

Georgie, the town planner, presented two alternative definitions — one detailed draft and another modeled on recent New Jersey language — and recommended the more detailed option. Georgie said the detailed definition covers hyperscale, collocation and enterprise facilities and excludes incidental server rooms: "Data centers typically include high density server and data storage equipment, telecommunications and networking infrastructure..." he said, reading from the proposed text.

Commission discussion centered on community priorities in the town's Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD): several commissioners said prior POCD surveys and conversations showed an intent to avoid large data‑center development in East Granby to protect land, water resources and infrastructure capacity. Commissioners also asked technical questions about water use, cooling systems and noise; Georgie noted modern facilities often use closed‑loop chillers and that impacts can vary by project.

The commission voted to adopt the first, more‑detailed definition and instructed staff to remove the separate "AI" phrasing from the regulation language while retaining a data‑center definition. The motion set an effective date of July 30, 2026, pending town‑clerk filing and publication.

What happens next: The new definition will give staff and the commission clearer standards to evaluate any future proposals that might be characterized as data centers; it also puts the town on record favoring language that protects open space and infrastructure capacity while still allowing smaller, incidental server uses.