Why Ellington May Pause Data Center Development

ELLINGTON, CT — Ellington is moving toward a one-year moratorium on data center development while town officials study how the large facilities should be regulated.

The Planning and Zoning Commission agreed by consensus Sept. 28 to authorize Town Planner Lisa Houlihan to submit a formal moratorium application based on a draft dated Sept. 22, according to the meeting minutes.

The proposal will still have to go through public notice and hearing requirements before it can take effect. First Selectman Laurie Burstein told the Board of Selectmen on Oct. 5 that officials expect the moratorium to be in place by Nov. 1.

Burstein said she raised the issue after speaking with Houlihan for several months about the possibility of large data centers being built on agricultural land. She also cited the amount of energy and other resources the facilities can use, according to the selectmen’s meeting minutes.

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The temporary pause would give the town time to review rules adopted by other communities and consider both the possible benefits and drawbacks of data center development. The town could then write permanent regulations governing where and how the facilities may be built.

The exact language of the moratorium has not yet been adopted. The available meeting records also do not say how an application filed before the effective date would be handled.

No pending data center proposal was identified during the Planning and Zoning Commission or Board of Selectmen discussions.

The Planning and Zoning Commission’s next regular meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Town Hall Annex, 57 Main St. The town had not posted an agenda for that meeting as of Thursday morning.

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