Oct 19, 2026Board meeting
Boston City Council Committee on Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee Hearing
The committee convened to discuss Docket 1718, a proposed zoning amendment aimed at prohibiting data centers in all zoning districts. The discussion focused on the potential environmental impacts of large-scale facilities, such as excessive electricity and water usage, noise, and community disruption. Key participants debated the necessity of a total ban versus utilizing existing regulatory frameworks, including the C40 Global Urban Data Centers Pact and Article 80 environmental reviews, to manage these developments. Additionally, the committee explored the need for updated zoning definitions to differentiate between smaller server infrastructures and massive, high-impact data centers.