Boxborough Planning Board Advances Temporary Data Center Moratorium to Public Hearing

Planning Board · Meeting of August 17, 2026

Boxborough Planning Board advances temporary data center moratorium ahead of August 31 public hearing. The board reviewed a draft warrant article that would prohibit new data center uses town-wide through December 30, 2027, with a grandfathering clause protecting existing operations. Clerk Chris Dowdy, the article's sponsor, said an expiration date is required by the state Attorney General and that comparable communities have used similar timelines.

Associate member Nathaniel Stuntz pressed for a power-consumption threshold rather than a use-category definition, arguing that "the data center problem is not the issue, it's the energy usage issue," and the board directed staff to query Littleton Electric for its highest-usage customer data before finalizing the draft. The board also reviewed mandatory zoning bylaw amendments required by the state's July 8 revision of MGL Chapter 40A, covering permit commencement periods, vesting rights, and nonconforming-use rules, and heard from Campanelli developer Russell Dion that the company plans to file simultaneous site plan applications for two new Beaverbrook Office Park buildings totaling up to 102,000 and 70,000 square feet respectively in late September or early October.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of August 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.