According to reporting by The New Bedford Light, New Bedford city councilors have unanimously advanced a measure to temporarily ban new data centers.
Mayor Jon Mitchell is proposing the citywide prohibition while officials research the issue and consider updated regulations. Under current rules adopted in 2024, data centers are permitted by-right under “General Business and Office Uses” without specialized approval processes. Planning Director Jen Carloni explained to the City Council that these provisions were drafted when data centers were viewed as standard buildings with basic computer servers.
With the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, modern facilities have vastly different demands. Carloni noted that planners want to pump the brakes because large-scale AI data centers require substantial land, water, and electricity, generate heavy mechanical noise, and can negatively impact neighboring properties—similar to issues seen in a controversial data center expansion in Lowell. Mayor Mitchell emphasized that continuing to allow these facilities by-right without proper performance standards exposes residents to unnecessary risks, making an immediate citywide prohibition necessary.
New Bedford’s local push aligns with broader state actions. Governor Maura Healey implemented a state-level pause on data center tax incentives and signed an executive order halting state permitting for any proposed data center lacking local approval, establishing strict state-level guardrails regarding energy, water, air, and community impacts. Shout out to Grace Ferguson for her excellent reporting on this issue. Read the full story: https://newbedfordlight.org/new-bedford-advances-measure-to-ban-data-centers/
