Baltimore County residents packed the Jefferson Building in Towson Thursday night to share their thoughts on data center development with the county's Planning Board, as the county weighs what rules should govern where and how data centers can be built.
The meeting drew more than 50 speakers, many of whom rallied outside before heading in to testify. Concerns ranged from environmental and health impacts to zoning and energy use.
At the center of the debate is a proposed 150-megawatt data center in Woodlawn. Joshua Long, an organizer and Woodlawn resident, was among those who spoke out.
"It's a Black community, minority community, lower class, middle class folks, it's obvious they're putting them in areas where there could be more pollution, more effects to people's health," Long said.
Long said his concerns are not about opposing AI and tech as a whole.
Neighbors push back on data centers at Baltimore County planning board meeting
"However, I believe the way we're rolling them out, this idea of forced inevitability of AI, human beings are making choices and we should have a bigger say in how those choices are made," Long said.
Many speakers warned about the health and environment risks, asking the board to value people over profit.
Some attendees said they believe data centers can be developed responsibly.
"We can craft sensible, taxpayer-focused rules that allow us to enjoy the benefits, minimize the impacts, and keep the costs to the industry where they belong," one speaker said.
Baltimore County defines data centers as a building or group of buildings used to house computer systems and equipment to organize and process data. Currently, they are only permitted east of Pulaski Highway and south of Liberty Road.
The county placed a pause on data center development in February to allow the Planning Board to research the issue and submit a recommendation to the County Council on how to proceed.
Speakers urged the board to include specific requirements in any new rules.
"We think the bill should require specific water and electricity usage data to be publicly available to hold data centers accountable. Data centers need to be zoned only in industrial areas," one speaker said.
Others added that the board should ensure developers have a plan for sourcing 100% of their energy from new renewable energy sources.
Many applauded Harford County's efforts to ban data centers, saying neighbors there are leading the way.
"These are all decisions that should center the voices of the people who are most directly impacted. Harford County, Charles County, Carroll County, Frederick County, everywhere this is coming, people are speaking out and standing up," Novey said.
The Planning Board has several more meetings on this (not all public) and is expected to submit its recommendations to the County Council on Oct. 1.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
