Howard County's data center moratorium inches closer to reality
Howard County is poised to become the next Maryland county to put a moratorium, or pause, on data centers.
The Howard County Council unanimously passed a measure to create such a ban Monday night. It now just needs County Executive Calvin Ball's signature to become law.
County Council Vice Chair Christiana Rigby is the one who initially proposed the S.M.A.R.T. Siting Act last month. For her, it's about modernizing county code and really looking into the impact these centers have.
What's in the moratorium?
The moratorium blocks the construction of new data centers in the county, as well as Planning and Zoning from taking in any new applications for this kind of development.
Rigby said the current county code needs a makeover, saying it looks like something out of the 1990s.
"Data centers can be anywhere from the size of a small moving pod to anything like what we've heard [in other states] that's like 40 acres," Rigby said. "What we need in our code is something that says this is how we handle them at [certain sizes], and really evaluating what sizes are appropriate here in Howard County. We have very limited land...we really need to make sure we're balancing all of our concerns."
A task force will be created to help define data centers for zoning regulations and to better understand these facilities' impacts.
Before the moratorium passed on Monday, an amendment was also passed to add experience requirements for task force members.
The amendment noted that task force members should have "substantial experience" in areas such as utilities infrastructure, climate resilience, environmental science, data center development and operation, among others.
The county council and Ball will be able to nominate the members. Rigby expects the task force to begin work before the end of the year.
The moratorium will either expire Nov. 2, 2027, or if a zoning regulation amendment is passed into law.
Student support
As with other measures in Howard County, the public was able to weigh in on the moratorium at a public hearing on May 18.
During that public hearing, students spoke in favor of the moratorium.
"Howard County currently does not have a comprehensive regulatory framework specifically designed for a modern data center development, that is exactly why this bill is necessary," said River High School senior Sidaarth Karegowdra.
Dhruv Dobariya is another River High School student who spoke in favor of it.
"Passing CB31 does not mean we are anti-technology, it means we are pro-responsibility," Dobariya said. "It gives Howard County the time to step back and re-evaluate the local codes to ensure future development is safe, smart and sustainable."
