Boston data center ban stays in committee as sponsor turns to new zoning definitions

A proposal to ban new data centers in every Boston zoning district will stay in committee for now. After an Oct. 19 hearing, its lead sponsor told the City Council that working with city planners on clearer zoning rules may be the better path.

Data centers are buildings full of computer servers. They can use a lot of electricity and water. Cities and towns across Massachusetts are deciding whether to welcome, limit or ban them. WBUR reported that the Boston proposal would cover facilities for artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and cloud computing. It would let existing sites keep running but not expand, and businesses and labs could still run servers for their own work. WBUR also reported that Holyoke banned data centers in June, and that Lowell, Westfield and Shutesbury have adopted moratoriums.

What our records show

Docket 1718, a zoning text amendment, was filed Sept. 14 and sent to the Planning, Development and Transportation Committee on Sept. 16. City Councilor Miniard Culpepper (District 7) is the lead sponsor. City Councilor Brian Worrell (District 4) is a lead co-sponsor. The council's record lists 11 councilors in all as sponsors or co-sponsors. The committee held its hearing Oct. 19 (meeting page). At the full council on Oct. 21, the docket was kept in committee, where it has now been for five weeks. No vote has been taken.

What was said

The committee chair, City Councilor Sharon Durkan (District 8), summed up the hearing for the full council (watch at 49:05). She said city planning staff and the city's chief information officer told councilors there is no immediate risk of very large "hyperscale" data centers coming to Boston under current zoning. Data centers are already a conditional use, she said, and big proposals would get the city's Article 80 development review and go before the Zoning Board of Appeal.

Durkan said the administration does not support the proposal as written and wants clearer definitions and a more targeted approach (50:52). She said hospital, university and climate groups testified, and that electrical workers and building trades unions raised concerns about jobs under a citywide ban.

Culpepper said he filed the amendment because data centers keep spreading across the state and the country, and he wants Boston to decide ahead of time whether they belong here (52:27):

He added that the city should keep studying what prohibitions, if any, are needed.

How many data centers does Boston have?

That is harder to answer than it sounds. Hoodline reported that city officials have confirmed one: the Markley Group building at 1 Summer St. in Downtown Crossing. It cited a MassLive review of the city's building energy reports that found at least 14 facilities of 10,000 square feet or more. Hoodline also reported that Boston has no permit written just for data centers. WBUR reported that the Downtown Crossing site opened in 1998 and draws about 30 megawatts.

At the state level, WBUR and Hoodline reported that Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order giving cities and towns more say over large data centers before state permits are issued.

What's next

The docket stays with Durkan's committee. Any zoning text change would also need approval from the Boston Zoning Commission, WBUR reported. Culpepper said the planning department is willing to work with the council. A revised proposal or a working session would be the next step to watch for on the committee's page.