BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Ahead of the Baltimore County Planning Board's meeting on a data center study, some Baltimore County Council members proposed a longer pause on developments.
There was already a moratorium on data centers in the county until January 1st of next year.
Now, some county council members, including Councilman David Marks, are proposing to extend that pause to December 2027.
"The public needs much more of an opportunity to comment on data centers. This is. Avery complex issue that involved land use, taxation, water use, and we don't want to rush judgment on any of these issues," Marks said.
This comes after county staff introduced a report to the planning board recommending strict regulation on data centers if they were built in the area.
"The planning board did a very comprehensive job, but we're simply rushing it if we try to quickly enact their recommendations."
However, the President and CEO of the Maryland Tech Council, Kelly Schulz said that this is premature, as the council doesn't yet have the report on data centers in front of them.
"I don't know how they can propose an additional moratorium without having the legitimate facts of the information of any proposals that have come before them," Schulz told WMAR-2 News.
She believes that the council should come up with answers to neighbors' questions without the extension or risk missing out on opportunities for growth.
"I think this is a way to look at a way to advance our innovation and our technology industries."
The council will vote on the moratorium bill at the end of the month.
The county planning board will hold a meeting on its data center study on Thursday.
