Biddeford moves to ban data center development
Biddeford Planning Board Recommends Ban on New Data Centers
The Biddeford Planning Board approved, by a unanimous vote, a proposal to prohibit the construction of new data centers in the city. The measure would amend the city’s existing land‑development ordinance to explicitly define a data center and declare that “Data centers are prohibited in the City of Biddeford.” The recommendation is now heading to the city council for final approval after a second review by the board at its next meeting on Oct. 7.
City planner David Galbraith said the ordinance change is driven primarily by environmental concerns. “The council wanted to adjust our ordinances to prohibit data centers primarily for environmental reasons,” he explained.
Planning board member Rob Nicoll, who welcomed the update, added, “I don’t think any of us are excited about the idea of massive metal boxes with computer materials.” He also noted that the ban would not target existing small‑scale data centers, saying, “If anyone does have anything small that they’re operating here, it’s not going to be a problem for them to not be able to expand.”
Biddeford currently has no large data centers. Galbraith acknowledged that the city may host some small facilities that the city is unaware of, but the ordinance would prevent those operations from expanding beyond their current size.
The proposal follows a wave of municipal actions across Maine aimed at curbing data center development. In April, Governor Janet Mills vetoed a statewide bill that would have temporarily halted data center construction. In response, several towns—including Westbrook, Scarborough, Sanford, Brunswick, and Gorham—passed their own moratoriums. Some, like Sanford and Scarborough, stopped existing projects, while others, including Biddeford, sought to prevent new projects from coming to market.
Biddeford’s decision joins a growing list of communities seeking to balance the economic promise of data centers with the environmental and community impacts they bring. The city council will decide whether to enact the ordinance following the board’s second review.
