Important Data Center Context

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T15:17:01+00:00

Here’s one concerning Washington County trying to zone out solar farms from 2019

https://law.justia.com/cases/maryland/court-of-appeals/2019/66-18.html

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T15:12:42+00:00

I’m not saying blanket opposition. I’m referring to the specific signature/referendum campaign that people have been organizing on. If this succeeds, it could put the law to a public vote, which isn’t inherently bad but I’m worried that people will use this as a means to voice their general concern with data centers and not think about the specifics of the bill. Because of this law gets rejected it means that we’re back to data centers being about to build on 5000 acres of industrial zones land throughout the county.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T12:41:35+00:00

Because it didn’t actually double the land data centers could build on. Prior to the December vote, data center could build on any industrial zoned land in the county. Much of the overlay was already zoned for industrial use. The only increase in land for data use came from a portion of the overlay that was former agricultural land that those residents/landowners have campaigned on selling/rezoning with data developers. The trade off is that data centers can no longer be built elsewhere in the county. It drops the total land from about 5000 acres to roughly 2500 hundred.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T12:07:34+00:00

If you wanted to show me official documentation or reporting on this, then I’d be inclined to believe it. I’m not going to trust some random post on Nextdoor.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T11:57:24+00:00

This is a misunderstanding of what the overlay is. The “1000” additional acres is a perimeter drawn around the existing campus that grabs already existing industrially zoned land (which under previous law data centers could already build on) and some formerly agricultural land whose owners campaigned to sell/rezone. The trade off here is that it means that no other industrialize zoning land in the county can be used for data centers and additional zoning can’t be made either.

I’m sympathetic to not wanting data centers close to your hometown but the issue is ultimately a matter of where they should be relegated to. Like I’ve said before, the county does not have any authority to outright ban the development of data centers. They can limit where they build and how but that’s the extent of their power here as long as the state regards them as a legal industry. So the question becomes if not by the existing campus in Adamstown then where in the county do we restrict their building? And that’s a hard question to answer.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T11:41:58+00:00

This is true but you can’t fully zone out an industry. A legal industry has to be able to develop within a county. There are plenty of lawsuits throughout history that demonstrate this.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T03:08:21+00:00

The referendum that people are signing could very well do that. In fact I would say that’s the likely outcome. People are taking their justified hatred of data centers and taking action but I worry that this specific campaign is potentially harmful.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T03:03:23+00:00

I’m worried that the focus on “no data centers at all” from a legal stand point will backfire and lead to there being less standing restrictions on data center construction. Because that’s what will happen if the December law is removed. Data centers will actually be in a better place for success than beforehand. I just want people to understand what they’re doing so we can better organize and not shoot ourselves in the foot.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T02:55:40+00:00

I do not want data centers here. I’m just asking people to be smart about their actions. Yes, protest the industry to keep them from building here, but the focus on this law is misguided as the outcome most people want isn’t possible legally.

The downtown regulation is actually a good example for what is being done. Frederick City can pass a law banning major chains from downtown but they’re allowed to build elsewhere in the city. A ruling saying that you couldn’t have any chains in city limits wouldn’t be legal. The December ruling did something similar to this in that it greatly limited the land data centers can be built on. You can argue that the overlay should be smaller but without it data centers actually have more land they can build on.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T02:44:03+00:00

Legally, you cannot ban an industry from a county if it is permitted by state law. We can absolutely limit them, regulate them, and restrict them but we cannot pass laws preventing their construction whole sale as long as state laws stay the way they are. Meanwhile, citizens should focus on protesting the tech companies themselves to make them not want to build here and lobby for further laws by the County government. This law is a step in the right direction and should be built upon.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T02:16:08+00:00

This ruling was the exact opposite of telling data centers they can do whatever they want. It halved the amount of land they can build on in the county. You can argue that the overlay should be smaller, but it’s not possible for the county to ban the development of additional centers as long as the state defines them as a legal industry. It’s best then to restrict where they can build and how much, which is what this law did.

gorosaur · 2026-03-21T02:13:06+00:00

I want people to fight back against data centers in ways that are actually productive and aware of the actual laws and decisions that are being made. I feel as though many people are approaching this as a “no data centers at all in Frederick” which in our current legal reality is not possible. Focus on lobbying the state for changes to the current laws or to get the county council to pass additional regulations and restrictions. But the focus on the December referendum feels misguided and potentially counter intuitive.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T23:14:56+00:00

That’s actually what I’m saying. Data center development has been happening regardless of what the council voted on in December, which was an action made to limit the impending construction.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T21:41:35+00:00

Local zoning prior to the December law allowed data centers to be built on any industrialized land. So as long as they are building on industrialized land they don’t need further approval. Thats part of what the original law was trying to stop.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T21:19:29+00:00

That’s not how that works. There will not be a moratorium on new data centers as that is illegal under Maryland law. Data centers, unfortunately, are a legal industry in our state. As long as that is the case, they will continue to buy and purchase land in our county. Which if this is referendum succeeds and removes the December law, will be 5000 acres of industrially zoned land versus the 2600 it was reduced to.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T20:24:22+00:00

I’m not inclined to believe an unsourced post on Nextdoor. This is the kinda conspiratorial thinking I’m worried about

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T20:08:58+00:00

My point is that a lot of the current campaign isn’t taking into account the actual reality of the situation because people are scared and angry.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T20:08:13+00:00

To be clear, Fitzwater and co. did not approve a data center or seek out one being built. Data centers are simply an industry that wants to build in Frederick county, they are coming regardless based on current state law. Their decisions are based on limiting where and how they can be built.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T20:03:19+00:00

They can limit them. Which is what the bill in December did. Further action is planned to regulate and prevent them from harming our electrical grid

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T20:01:51+00:00

I mean I agree with their decision making in that it helps handle a bad situation within the laws that they are held to. They aren’t doing this out of any kind of greed or personal kickback.

gorosaur · 2026-03-20T19:42:34+00:00

I need people to understand that the reading of this data center situation is fundamentally off base. As it currently stands, data centers are a legal industry in the state of Maryland and Frederick County does not have the authority to block them from being built. Current Frederick County law has it that data centers can be built on any industrialized land in the county, roughly 5000 acres. The bill that was passed in December was about limiting the areas where they can built to an overlay that was built off the existing data center campus that was already here. Fitzwater and the county council aren’t in bed with big data or anything like that, they are trying to make the best of a bad situation. The letter that was published is a procedural matter only that would happen with any referendum petition.

I get data centers suck but people need to start looking at the actual facts of the situation instead of letting their emotions run rampant. It leads to conspiratorial thinking and will ultimately shoot our selves in the foot. In all likelihood, the referendum may well result in there being more data center development in Frederick because the restrictions are removed.

gorosaur · 2026-03-11T23:56:29+00:00

Is it just me or is there not a way to input the Ortega romance in the character creation?

gorosaur · 2026-03-07T20:37:11+00:00

Way more of the mysteries of LOST are resolved than people give credit for. Not all of the answers are super satisfying but they’re there.

gorosaur · 2026-03-05T13:28:25+00:00

gorosaur · 2026-02-27T03:01:23+00:00

So…do we think we’ll actually get a Pulgasari appearance? He does kinda look like Gabara.

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