An anticipated report on data center development in Prince George’s County makes clear that data centers will be welcomed in the county, but only under certain circumstances — and with lots of community say in where they’re located.
The 462-page report was prepared by a special task force that was appointed to study the issue after community pushback to a fast-tracked data center at the site of the old Landover Mall. That project caught residents by surprise, and their opposition led to the plan being halted and the county taking a closer look at how it will handle the controversial projects moving forward.
“We really don’t want what happened in Landover to ever happen again,” said Prince George’s County Council member Wala Blegay (D-6th District), who also served on the task force behind the report. “The process that will be put in place will require some sort of special exception, which will require many community meetings. So the community will have very much of an impact on what happens.”
Those special exceptions will add layers to the approval process, resulting in more hearings and more chances for community input that could slow down or even stop projects from moving forward, if there’s enough opposition.
Of the report’s 14 recommendations, many focused on zoning and environmental concerns. The report calls on data centers to be steered toward industrial zones, especially ones considered underperforming and vacated, while keeping them away from urban areas with large populations. It also aims to keep them away from parts of the county considered environmentally sensitive.
