Three Connecticut towns so far have passed moratoriums on the construction of data centers — and they likely won’t be the last. Many municipalities around the state have considered similar bans, whether or not a project has been proposed. Proposals to build data centers are often met with significant local opposition, with concerns ranging from environmental issues to energy usage to noise. But experts say a ban on data centers is often a town’s attempt to maintain a measure of control over large development projects within its borders. “Relatively few proposals for data center development have been submitted in our communities,” said Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. But towns and cities are considering temporary bans “to allow time to establish appropriate regulations,” Gara said. Groton was the first Connecticut municipality to institute a temporary moratorium on the construction of data centers, back in 2022. That temporary ban became a permanent restriction a year later, with Groton adopting zoning regulations to allow data centers only under 12,500 square feet in size.
More Connecticut towns are banning data centers before they even get proposed
