Planning Board Recommends 12-Month Data Center Halt
Planning Board · Meeting of September 21, 2026
East Bridgewater Planning Board calls for 12-month freeze on data centers. The board voted unanimously Monday to ask the Select Board to impose a moratorium on data center siting and to request that Article 2, its own proposed zoning ban, be passed over at the October 7 Town Meeting. Resident Katie Sherrod told the board her alternative, Mansfield-modeled bylaw draft offered real protections, warning "if you allow for exceptions, then it's not a ban." Water and Sewer Superintendent Brian McSweeney said a 10-megawatt facility can use roughly 44 million gallons of potable water annually.
Chairman Kevin Reilly said the pause would give "ample time to put the right pieces in place" for a bylaw able to "survive scrutiny." The board separately voted unanimously to recommend Southridge Drive Phase V, Article 16 on the warrant, be accepted as a public way pending final Department of Public Works sign-off.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,551 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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