The planned data center project at the old Landover Mall site just off the Beltway isn’t a done deal yet. But critics say the project was given the green light without any transparency, and are concerned about the environmental and energy impact of data centers.
What we are seeing in Maryland is Zoning and Permitting authority being stripped away at the Municipal and County Level. Governor Moore, and Maryland’s Housing Secretary Day have been working with the legislature on “Zoning Reform”.
Then the Governor by Executive Order created a State permitting review board, with his Staff largely running the board, with his Secretary of Planning as the Chair, Secretary Day had his top operative Julia Glanz put on the board, and the Mayor of Baltimore City Brandon Scott had his Deputy Mayor Justin Williams appointed to the board and is now being called the “Permitting Czar’. Creating a more “centralized power” structure in Annapolis on permitting for the whole State.
In addition Mayor Scott just hired a “Nationally Recognized” Director of Planning to add to the City of Baltimore’s Administration, giving this “team” of the Governor, Secretary Day, Mayor Scott and this State Board some more “fire power”.
What we are seeing around the State in Cecil County with a Solar Farm project being proposed, and the concerns there with the town of Betterton it’s being proposed in. What is happening in Wicomico County / Salisbury,MD with a Downtown Market project and the issue of parking. The Mayor of Sailbury is being attacked by a Developer with close ties to Housing Secretary Day in Annapolis. Now this Data Center and the concerns in Prince George’s County / Landover Which around the Country Municipalities and Counties have been working on “Guardrails” for Data Centers, including in nearby Prince WIlliam County, Virginia.
This week an article came out in the Washington TImes about how data centers are threatening to “overload US electricity grids around the country” and how policy makers are taking a hard look at “Tough Love” solutions on this issue.
WIth all of this it seems the main reason for this “power grab” by Annapolis on Planning and Zoning for the State, is Governor Moore and Secretary Day’s Statewide “Affordable Housing” initiative where the Governor has allocated $400 Million Dollars to be dispersed to “Impacted Areas” around the State. Clearly it will be easier to execute this if the power has been “centralized” to Annapolis and taken away from Municipalities and County Government’s.
However we’ve historically seen in Maryland the challenges “One Size Fits All” creates. Can you say the “Kirwan Blueprint” for Education? That is why we need to work to create some Protections / Guardrails for Municipal and County Governments on Planning & Zoning.
Dozens rallying in PGCo is a start! Wait til they find out how much water is consumed by the data centers in cooling down all that electricity they’re going to pay for! Now that Less Moore says he is delaying his advance onto the Presidency, WATCH OUT, he will be even more active in his destruction of the State of MD.
pg deserves everything they get, what a sh@thole it’s become!