Northampton forms committee to study data centers and potential regulations

NORTHAMPTON — The city is forming a Data Center Select Committee to examine whether and how commercial data centers should operate in Northampton, and is seeking residents to help guide the city's approach to the facilities.

The committee, sponsored by City Council President Rachel Maiore, Ward 3 Councilor Laurie Loisel, Ward 1 Councilor Gwen Nabad, and Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, emerged after residents contacted city officials with concerns about data center development. The council expects to implement a one-year moratorium on data center construction while the committee works. A public hearing on the moratorium is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, before the Planning Board and the Council's Legislative Matters subcommittee.

Maiore said the moratorium will give the city time to clarify what data centers are, assess their impacts, and develop regulations before deciding whether to permit them. "If we want to regulate them, we need very precise regulations," Maiore said. "These are big corporations sometimes and we need to have all of our ducks in a row, so we need time to do that."

The select committee is expected to deliver its findings and recommendations by April 1, 2027. Maiore said the committee should determine what level of data center development, if any, Northampton should allow and identify ways to mitigate potential harms. "We need to craft recommendations and then the city government will then craft an ordinance based on those recommendations moving forward, whether that's a total ban, whether it's allowing certain types of businesses, that's what I want to the committee to look at," she said.

Loisel said the committee approach allows time for informed decision-making rather than an immediate ban. "I don't know if there's smaller scale ones that might be suitable for our community, so I didn't want to just jump to the fear of data centers immediately," Loisel said. "I think we need to get more information before we can make an informed decision."

The city is especially seeking applicants with professional experience or advanced knowledge of the power grid, renewable energy, data center operations, cooling systems, water conservation, or local and regional hydrology. Residents interested in serving must complete an online application by Oct. 15.