Harwinton discusses pause on data centers, battery storage facilities and solar
With the expansion of artificial intelligence, there’s a growing need for data centers. The zoning commission in Harwinton weighed the pros and cons Monday evening.
The town currently doesn’t have any zoning regulations on data centers, battery storage facilities, or solar.
But after a few inquiries on building that tech, the zoning commission decided to talk about the possibility of a moratorium that would put a pause on any applications for these kinds of operations.
“We’re a small town. There’s not a lot of industrial property here, commercial property. So is it going to be a big concern? Well, we didn’t think it was going to be, but somebody reached out,” Zoning Commission Chairman Theodore Root said.
Data centers can be small or large, taking up acres. Nationwide, residents have raised concerns that these centers deplete a town’s resources, using up electricity and water.
Lillian Busse worries the town can’t handle data centers.
“We don’t have enough electricity. We do not have enough of the sewers, because most of the town here has septic systems,” she said. “And the traffic, our roads just aren’t ready for it.”
New Haven put a year-long pause on data centers earlier this month to see if they’d be a right fit for the community.
“I think 12 months gives us enough time with the current landscape to put something in place, to create some guardrails, some limitations around where data centers might go and where data centers might not go,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in July when the moratorium was passed.
West Haven, Groton and Morris have taken similar approaches.
Harwinton’s first selectman Michael Criss called data centers, battery storage facilities and solar bad news for the town.
“As zoning commission, we have to stay focused on the things that are definitely going to change the landscape of Harwinton,” he said.
The zoning commission decided they need more information and more time before drafting a moratorium.
The discussions will continue at their next meeting in August.
From breaking news and local politics to art exhibitions, live music, high school sports, small businesses, and cultural events, we celebrate the people and places that make Connecticut unique.