Grafton residents delivered a near-unanimous verdict on data centers, voting 114-12 at Town Meeting to prohibit the facilities in every zoning district across town. The lopsided tally, cast on Oct. 19, means Grafton will have no constructed data centers within its borders, though the ban cannot officially take effect until it clears one more hurdle in Boston.
A Landslide Vote With a Catch
According to Community Advocate, the article's path to Town Meeting began when Grafton's Planning Board voted unanimously on Sept. 28 to send the proposed zoning language forward for a townwide vote. Despite the overwhelming margin at the ballot, the newspaper's report notes that neither the Planning Board meetings nor the Town Meeting discussion itself drew public participation or debate on the proposal.
Even with residents firmly behind the ban, the bylaw cannot be enforced just yet. The outlet reports that Grafton will have no constructed data centers once the measure takes effect. Per Massachusetts General Laws chapter 40, section 32, a local zoning bylaw generally needs attorney general sign-off, or may take effect after 90 days elapse without action following submission, subject to the statute's terms.
What Counts as a Data Center
The bylaw defines a data center broadly: a facility, or portion of one, primarily designed or used for computer servers and related information-technology infrastructure supporting electronic data storage, processing, management or transmission, the report states. That definition sweeps in server racks, data-storage systems, cooling systems, power-conditioning equipment, substations, uninterruptible power supplies, backup generators, telecommunications equipment, security systems and related mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
Not everything gets swept up, though. The bylaw specifically excludes small-scale server rooms or closets that are merely accessory or incidental to some other principal use on a property, the newspaper notes. Crucially, the measure classifies a data center as a primary use only — meaning it cannot be tucked in as an allowed accessory use connected to another permitted business or operation.
Concerns Simmered for Months
Grafton's path toward a ban wasn't sudden. Back on July 7, the town's Select Board and Planning Board held a joint meeting to begin hashing out the data-center question, the same outlet reported in earlier coverage. Planning Board Chair Gregory Dalle-Molle voiced one of the central worries driving the debate, telling the publication, “I'm personally concerned about the water.”
Grafton Joins a Regional Pattern
Grafton is far from alone in moving against the industry. Just days earlier, Chelmsford's Town Meeting approved its own bylaw prohibiting medium- and large-scale data centers, according to the Lowell Sun. That measure still allows smaller facilities in industrial zones with a special permit, and permits accessory small data centers in industrial and commercial districts. The same report notes that Wilmington is scheduled to weigh a similar bylaw at its own Town Meeting on Nov. 21.
Other towns have taken different routes. Lowell adopted a 360-day moratorium on data centers while it studies the issue, according to the earlier Community Advocate account. Hudson's Planning Board recommended a one-year pause on data centers. Northborough instead chose to allow small data centers in its Industrial District by special permit, capping them at 5 megawatts.
The trend extends beyond Massachusetts. GBH reports that Holyoke became the first Massachusetts town to ban future data centers outright, while across the border in New Hampshire, Canterbury voted to prohibit the facilities at its March town meeting and Nottingham adopted a one-year construction moratorium following a special election in early September.
State Officials Weigh In
The surge of local action comes as state officials acknowledge the stakes involved. The Healey-Driscoll administration has said data centers require substantial investment in electric-grid infrastructure and power-generation resources, and that their development can raise concerns around energy affordability, reliability, climate, environmental and public-health impacts, according to a statement posted on Mass.gov. A related executive order described on the state's website directs permitting agencies to require data-center projects with peak electricity demand above 25 megawatts to meet specified conditions before moving forward.
For now, Grafton's blanket prohibition sits in limbo, awaiting the attorney general's review before it can formally become town law. Whether that approval arrives, and when, remains to be seen.
