Following protests and lengthy debates, city council members in Holyoke, Massachusetts, have approved language effectively banning new data centers from coming to town.
With just enough votes to pass, Holyoke’s city council approved sweeping changes to its zoning rules this week, barring new data centers from coming to town for the foreseeable future.
The final count was 9-4: just enough votes needed to pass a the zoning amendment. The new policy puts Holyoke in somewhat exclusive company - few communities have gone as far as to pass bans. Even one of the more notable efforts, found in Mansfield on the other side of the state, focuses more on limitations, prohibiting data centers that use a certain amount of wattage and other criteria (dubbed a “near-total ban” by Boston.com).
Holyoke’s ban goes further – approving a “prohibition” called for by supporters like Councilor Juan-Anderson Burgos, who cited public health, national backlash and other concerns linked to such centers.
“I don't know how anyone has the heart to not support its community - for the life of me, I don't understand why somebody won't stand up and say ‘Not in Holyoke,’” said Burgos.
Efforts to ban data centers go back to at least January, when an order looking to restrict data centers appeared and received hearings throughout the spring. It was then punted to the Ordinance Committee about two weeks ago - around the same time reports surfaced that a Boston-based developer was considering a parcel by the city’s canal system.
What Chestnut River Power and Infrastructure was pitching – a 20-megawatt “micro facility” that would occupy a former paper mill complex – immediately drew backlash from residents: backlash that continued into Tuesday night.
“We need to ask ourselves what Holyoke will look like when the current data center boom bursts,” said Jessica Montagna. “I urge the council to support a ban on a new data center and take time to pursue thoughtful… long-term community supported vision… for our city, that will protect the environment, strengthen our neighborhoods, and create lasting benefits for residents, especially our most vulnerable, because we are… an environmental justice community.”
Concerns such as water usage, where used water from a new data center would go, how much power it would use up and more resurfaced at the meeting – with some focusing on Chestnut River’s renderings while others spoke of data centers in general.
Chestnut River Co-Managing Director Benjamin Marshall has previously told WAMC the company would work at-length with city power and water providers to address such concerns. The project itself is reportedly only in the planning phase, with a property on Water Street being considered.
Other concerns include potential noise produced by a data center, which Marshall has said would not be a significant issue., given the scale of the micro center and how deep it is in a fairly industrial zone of the city.
However, as At-Large City Councilor Israel Rivera stated, the residents already living near the zone have enough to deal with.
“It's already a significant burden for those two communities to be carrying - a lot of the industrial activity that's happening in this community - hence some of the references to the asthma rates, hence some of the references to what people deal with on a day-to-day issues when they're in those lower wards,” he said.
Opposition to the ban included Ward 5 Councilor Linda Vacon, who, throughout the process, voiced concerns over an apparent lack of transparency and procedural issues involving the ordinance.
“How we do things matters - we're having a lot of issues in the city, with things happening in the back [and] coming out in the front, and nobody knew what happened: that needs to stop,” Vacon said. “And agree with me, disagree with me… I'm not saying I'm always right, because I'm not: I'm human, I make my mistakes … but on this principle, I will stand.”
While a potential two-year moratorium had been brought up and was mentioned again Tuesday, a ban was ultimately sought.
Council President Tessa Murphy-Romboletti, who voted against the ban, signaled on Facebook that a moratorium would likely stand less legal scrutiny. She cited the city’s law department, which had pointed out the state Attorney General’s office “had previously approved a temporary data center moratorium in another Massachusetts community because it was limited in scope and duration.”
In a statement to WAMC, Chestnut River’s Benjamin Marshall stated:
“We're still taking in the Council's decision and want to review it carefully before we say more. We remain committed to finding a path for a project that works for Holyoke, and we're grateful to everyone who engaged in this process — the Council and residents alike. We'll have more to share soon."
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Audio for this story was provided by Holyoke Media.
