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Planning board backs two‑year moratorium approach while towns and AG rulings evolve on data centers
Summary
Facing evolving law and active bylaws in neighboring towns, Norton’s planning board agreed to draft a two‑year moratorium on new data‑center developments to allow time to study definitions, tiered standards and Attorney General decisions before proposing a fall town‑meeting article.
Members of the Norton Planning Board supported pursuing a two‑year moratorium on new data‑center development to give the town time to examine other municipalities’ bylaws and Attorney General rulings and to draft clear definitions and tiered standards (size, energy consumption and noise). The chair said the moratorium would be a short, administratively simple way to pause permitting while the board researches options and copes with rapidly evolving law in other towns.
Several members favored adopting language similar to Lowell or Mansfield once AG guidance is available; they also discussed exempting small, single‑employer server rooms from a broad ban. “So my idea is gonna be a 2 year moratorium… and pretty much copy it,” the chair said of Lowell’s approach. The board directed staff to compile sample language and work toward placing a moratorium article on the fall warrant.
