Bloomfield's zoning rules prohibit data centers and battery energy storage facilities in every zoning district, affecting an informal proposal for a nearly 1-million-square-foot facility that had been floated for the town's northwest corner.
The new rules bar data centers as a principal use, an accessory use, or as part of a mixed-use development in every zone townwide, and they also prohibit battery energy storage facilities outright, according to Hartford Business Journal.
The vote comes more than a year after New York-based Atlas Capital Group made an informal presentation to the town in June 2025 for a data center at 132 Griffin Road North, on a vacant 44-acre former tobacco field. The project as described to Hartford Business Journal would have included roughly 900,000 square feet of data-center space and a 127,000-square-foot substation, though a separate description on the town's own civic-alerts page characterized the conceptual plan as a 1-million-square-foot facility — the two accounts differ on the exact scale of what was pitched.
Scope of the Zoning Change
The prohibition applies across Bloomfield's zoning districts.
The rules apply to data centers as a principal or accessory use, as well as projects that would combine them with other uses.
The amendments also prohibit battery energy storage facilities.
Part of a Wider Connecticut Pushback
Bloomfield isn't alone. Days earlier, East Lyme's zoning commission voted unanimously to prohibit both traditional and AI data centers, along with their accessory uses, with that ban taking effect Oct. 24, as WFSB reported. Unlike the temporary moratoriums many towns have adopted, East Lyme's ban is intended to be permanent, though the underlying zoning regulations could still be changed later if officials choose. That town's commission pointed to concerns about strain on the water supply, noise from the facilities, and impacts on nearby residents.
The resistance is showing up at the state level too. Connecticut currently has no large-scale AI data centers operating within its borders, according to a report from CT Public, yet critics have already zeroed in on the industry's heavy water and electricity use, warning it could drive up utility rates for residents who live nearby. State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff has said he intends to introduce legislation creating a statewide moratorium on AI data centers when the legislature convenes next year, telling the outlet, “We need to have new legislation in the state of Connecticut that puts a moratorium on AI data centers across the state of Connecticut.”
In Groton, a proposed AI data center drew resident opposition over fears about local electric rates.
Tax Breaks Still on the Books
The regulatory crackdown comes even as older state incentives remain in place to lure data-center investment. Connecticut lawmakers created tax breaks in 2021 aimed at attracting such projects. Qualifying developments investing at least $200 million — or $50 million in certain designated economic-development zones — may receive sales and property tax exemptions.
For now, Bloomfield has decided those potential tax benefits aren't worth the tradeoff. With the amendments in place, any future data-center pitch — however it's labeled — would have to clear a zoning code that no longer leaves room for it anywhere in town.
