Real Estate
Home›Real Estate›Industrial & Land›Montgomery County votes for 18-month pause on large da…
Montgomery County votes for 18-month pause on large data center permits
The moratorium covers data centers requiring at least 25 megawatts per month that lack a building permit, and it also bans large data centers anywhere in the county under a zoning text amendment.
Montgomery County lawmakers voted unanimously to halt large data center development through an 18-month pause on certain permits, setting new limits for projects in the D.C. metro area, according to Bisnow.
The council approved the moratorium on permits for data centers that demand at least 25 megawatts per month and do not yet have a building permit. Lawmakers also approved a zoning text amendment that defines large data centers and prohibits their use anywhere in the county.
Councilmember Evan Glass, the lead sponsor of the moratorium bill, said the pause is intended to give time to address community questions, including potential impacts on Potomac River water, utility bill payers, and the broader community. The council said the measures would allow time for deliberation on guardrails for large data centers, and that no changes would occur until the questions are answered.
The zoning text amendment does not apply to facilities used primarily for manufacturing, quantum computing research, biomedical research, or medical care, and it does not cover cable communications systems or institutions of higher education. Bisnow reports the county is weighing its first hyperscale proposal, Atmosphere Data Centers’ plan for a 300-megawatt campus on a former coal plant in Dickerson, and that Atmosphere said the new legislation would apply to the Dickerson project.