In a tense meeting where councilors argued as much about procedure as they did data centers, the Groton Town Council voted to end negotiations with NE Edge over an agreement for a proposed large data center. NE Edge owner Thomas Quinn had been pushing the council for a quick vote on a Host Municipality Fee Agreement that would outline more that $3.5 million of taxes and payments the company would make to the town to develop two, 250,000-square-foot data centers just south of Interstate 95. In a 5-1 vote with three councilors abstaining, the council agreed to direct town staff to end its negotiations with NE Edge. Six councilors would need to agree in order to bring the proposal back to the table. Councilor Rachael Franco voted against, while Councilors David McBride, Juliette Parker and Scott Westervelt abstained, saying they needed more time to review the information. The project has drawn strong opposition from neighbors, from members of the public who have grown increasingly skeptical of fast-moving development in Groton, and from some council members who have called for the town to re-evaluate the speed of its development process.
