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Bangor staff weigh moratorium options and strict rules for new data centers
Summary
City staff briefed the planning board on options for controlling data center impacts, including a moratorium extension, tiered thresholds (by megawatt or square footage), decommissioning requirements, minimum rooftop solar/battery storage, noise/vibration limits, and restricting large centers to industrial zones or a mapped overlay.
Planning staff updated the board that the city is studying how data centers of varying sizes would affect local utilities (water, sewer, electric) and whether municipal regulation or a size‑based ban is advisable. Staff said council has placed a moratorium on new large data centers while the city evaluates options.
Potential regulatory tools staff described include: a tiered threshold system (e.g., Brewer’s example that bans centers over 20 megawatts), enhanced wetlands/utilities review, mandatory decommissioning plans, noise and low‑frequency vibration limits, requirements for rooftop solar or battery energy storage to mitigate grid impacts, undergrounding of power lines, and potential community benefits or local hiring conditions placed as part of conditional use approvals.
Staff noted the moratorium can be extended while the city completes its analysis and that the next step will be an assessment of utility capacity and further direction from City Council. The board discussed whether to limit centers to industrial zones or use an overlay to identify acceptable locations.
