North Berwick to ask voters about data center ban, comprehensive plan change
An Amazon Web Services data center in Boardman, Ore., is seen in August 2024. North Berwick voters will decide in November whether to permanently ban data center projects in the town. (Jenny Kane/Associated Press)
North Berwick voters will weigh in on what has become a controversial debate in Maine with a question on their November ballot: They’ll be asked how the town should define data centers and whether to ban them permanently.
The question, which was approved for the ballot Tuesday night, reflects a departure from actions already taken by several other towns. At least eight municipalities have passed temporary bans on proposing or developing data centers. North Berwick officials decided in June to skip that step and send the question straight to voters.
Since then, the town’s select and planning boards have been developing language that would amend the town’s zoning ordinance if approved by voters.
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Why North Berwick plans to skip a data center moratorium and let voters decide
The question reads, “Shall an ordinance entitled ‘Proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendment to Define and Prohibit Data Centers’ be enacted?”
The proposal defines data centers as any facility, structure or equipment that functions primarily “to house networked computers, and/or network equipment, systems, servers, appliances, data and transaction processing equipment and associated infrastructure.”
The language would apply to facilities with an aggregate data center area of 25,000 square feet or larger.
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Town Manager Dwayne Morin said at Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting that no town officials have expressed opposition to the proposed ban, and no residents have either.
“They’re loud on video, I can’t imagine being in person with them,” Select Board Chair Michael Johnson Jr. said, expressing his own opposition. “There are people half a mile away (from a data center), and they’re reading 80 decibels in their yard.”
GROWTH AREA AMENDMENT
The Select Board also voted Tuesday to send a question to voters that would amend the town’s comprehensive plan to match state legislation.
The legislation mandates that municipalities expand their growth areas — areas for future development or land use — primarily in zones served by public water and sewer infrastructure. It aims to make “efficient use” of public services and prevent disorderly development sprawl.
If voters approve in November, the question will redefine North Berwick’s growth areas versus its rural areas, and it would provide incentives and policies for development away from those rural zones, according to a referendum ballot packet provided at Tuesday’s meeting.
North Berwick’s first formal zoning, which was adopted in the 1970s, led residents to develop on “irreplaceable” pastures and woodlands, according to the packet. A 1990 comprehensive plan aimed to correct that by including additional land use zones closer to the village center.
Officials have identified those zones surrounding the village center as possible spots for future development, and they will be part of the town’s redefined growth area if voters approve the question.
“The town should support organic farming, low-impact forestry, ecologically sound industries and outdoor recreation and tourism businesses that support but do not overpower the town’s historical and rural character,” the packet reads.
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Tagged: data center, election 2026, york county Maine
Isabelle Oss is a community reporter covering Kittery, Berwick, North Berwick, South Berwick, York and Ogunquit. Born and raised in Colorado, she moved to Maine in April 2026. Isabelle holds a master’s. More by Isabelle Oss
