Carroll County commissioners extend data center deferral to February 2028

The Board of Carroll County Commissioners voted 5-0 Thursday to extend the county's deferral on data centers for another year, moving its expiration from February 2027 to Feb. 19, 2028.

A deferral is a county ordinance that stops staff from processing, reviewing or approving development applications for a particular type of project. Commissioners first adopted the data center deferral in a unanimous vote on Feb. 19, 2026, for one year. Thursday's vote came at the end of a public hearing, and the board closed the hearing and approved the extension in a single motion.

Two residents spoke, both in favor of the extension. Both also asked the board to go further than a delay.

Chris Heyn, the county's director of Planning and Land Management, told commissioners the extra year would let the county see how several outside developments play out.

"There's a lot of things going on, as I think everybody's aware, regarding data centers nationwide and statewide," Heyn said. He pointed to an executive order Gov. Wes Moore issued Sept. 23, which sets up a state review process for large data center projects but, according to one law firm's summary, does not change local approvals. Heyn also cited studies under way in larger jurisdictions, ongoing discussions with the Maryland Association of Counties, and the chance of new legislation in the coming General Assembly session.

"So the deferral will allow all those things to kind of coalesce our thoughts on how to address them," he said.

Heyn said commissioners directed staff in October to begin talks with the county Planning and Zoning Commission about prohibiting data centers in the county's zoning districts. That work, he said, "will be starting shortly." He also recalled that staff gave the board presentations on data centers in May and October.

The hearing was advertised in the Carroll County Times and on the county website on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29.

Two residents spoke during the public comment portion of the hearing.

Shannon Hope told commissioners her father took her to her first public hearing when she was very small, on a large assisted living facility proposed for her neighborhood. "We packed that room, but it went through," she said. She said the project brought noise, traffic and lower property values.

"Data centers put an enormous strain on our communities," Hope said. "They do not fall under the parameters of eminent domain, as they hinder the surrounding communities by damaging local wildlife, lowering water tables, contaminating natural resources, and lowering property values." She said she supports the deferral "until 2028, but for all the foreseeable future if at all possible."

Jean Schwartz thanked commissioners for their support with what she called "the power line problem that we've been facing."

"Carroll County is an agricultural community," Schwartz said. "We don't need, personally don't want, to be a Baltimore suburb. So I'm asking you to not only extend the moratorium, but put a ban on these data centers where corporate greed is riding on the backs of the citizens."

She said other communities that approved data centers are now dealing with "property de-valuation, noise pollution, water contamination, and general environmental destruction." No one else signed up to speak, and no one testified by phone.

Commissioner Gordon made the motion to extend the deferral to Feb. 19, 2028. Commissioner Guerin seconded it. After the board chair asked that the motion also close the public hearing, the mover amended it to do so.

During discussion, Commissioner Krebs said the county still needs to define what a data center is, noting that the governor's order includes a definition. Krebs said that "right now we say 'ban it,' but we don't have a definition of what it is we're banning." The definition she cited describes facilities "principally used to house networked computing, data storage, and telecommunications equipment, together with associated power and cooling infrastructure."

Commissioner Kiler raised a 25-megawatt threshold for defining a data center and worried that a tightly drawn definition could create a loophole. "What if somebody submits one in two months and it's a loophole — can we close the loophole?" Kiler asked.

Heyn said the definition already in the county's ordinance is broad enough. "I think we're pretty solid," he said. If a loophole appeared, he said, staff "would absolutely bring that back to the board," and he noted that the application process "is at least a year-long process."

Asked by Krebs about someone converting an empty building, Heyn said a change-of-use permit would be required, which the county reviews along with the site's development implications. Gordon added that removing data centers from the county code outright would bar them in every part of the county.

Guerin described the deferral's purpose as taking time to "make the proper definitions, and make sure we're covered." He said "the onus really is on [the data center companies] to find a better way."

All five commissioners voted in favor of extending the deferral.

The extension keeps in place a deferral that was due to expire in February. County staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission will now work on a more permanent change to the county code. Heyn did not give a timeline for that work at the hearing.

Watch the hearing on the county’s YouTube channel.