Planning board considers narrow data-center prohibition, asks staff for a tailored ordinance

The Frenchtown Planning Board discussed whether to ban or tightly regulate data centers in town, leaning toward a narrowly tailored prohibition that would retain flexibility for small facilities. S10 (Legal counsel) briefed the board on examples from nearby municipalities and urged narrow, definition-based language to avoid being overturned in court.

Board members cited resident concerns about noise, water consumption and strain on the electrical grid. S9 (Committee member) recounted conversations with residents who “mostly said they want to ban it,” while S4 (Committee member) urged caution, noting bans are sometimes reversed and that small-scale facilities can be designed to limit impacts. S10 told the board their office had worked on a Washington Borough ordinance that aimed to prohibit large hyperscale uses while allowing smaller, well-defined facilities under constrained conditions.

The board asked staff and legal counsel to draft a Washington-style ordinance that: (1) narrows the definition of “data center” to exclude small server rooms and colocation operations, (2) carves out public-safety and public-utility facilities, and (3) preserves administrative control through permitting and variance processes. The draft will return for review next month.