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December 10, 2024

Wallingford OKs zoning change to allow data centers

Aerial view of the wooded area at 677 Williams Road in Wallingford.
By David Krechevsky

Following a public hearing that extended over three months, the Wallingford Planning & Zoning Commission on Monday approved a zoning text amendment that allows computer data centers to be developed in a watershed district.

The application, submitted by West Granby-based Charter Development Group LLC, owned by partners Donald Gershman and Eric Brown, sought to amend the town’s watershed interchange (WI) district zone to include data centers as a permitted use. The WI district zone applies to property east of Interstate 91 in the northeast corner of Wallingford.

After lengthy discussion and objections raised by property owners within the zone, the commission voted 4-1 to approve a modified text amendment. Commissioner Jeffrey Kohan was the lone vote against the motion.

As approved, the modified amendment requires applicants to seek a special permit. It also caps the size of buildings on each parcel in the WI district zone at 250,000 square feet, with a maximum of 400,000 square feet allowed within the entire district.

The town’s WI district zone protects the Muddy River, which flows into MacKenzie Reservoir. It allows for “low intensity uses and emerging technological development,” according to town zoning regulations.

Approximately 26 acres of undeveloped, wooded land at 677 Williams Road within the district is for sale by the Raymond W. Gillespie Trust for $2.9 million. The property is off Exit 15 of I-91 and behind the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel at 1181 Barnes Road.

Charter Development submitted the proposed zone text amendment because the trust is looking to sell the property for a development that will have the smallest environmental impact on the area.

Gershman said his organization would like to develop a computer data center on the property, but has said there currently is no specific tenant for the project.

He said he hopes to use tax incentives approved by the state in 2021 to encourage data center development in the state. The incentives include waiving sales and property taxes for 20 years on data centers that invest at least $200 million in the state, or just $50 million if the facility is located in a state-designated enterprise zone. The tax exemptions could be extended up to 30 years with a larger investment.

Earlier this year, however, the state debated a proposal to study how large-scale data centers might affect the reliability of the state’s electric grid. A bill proposing the study failed to pass.

Kristen Demilio, who represented the trust during the public hearing Monday, said the trust is selling the land because of the tax burden — which totaled $12,400 in 2023, according to town land records — so the only question is what will be developed on the property.

“Some of the residents were saying that a warehouse or distribution center would never be built on my property because of public outcry,” Demilio said. “... Anyone wishing to build a warehouse or distribution center or a daycare center does not have to ask for a special permit. This isn't about (either) open space or a data center. This is about a warehouse or a data center.”

She said her goal is to find the “least bad option,” and that she believes a data center qualifies. She noted that a warehouse or distribution center would create significantly more traffic and more noise.

“If it were the decision of this commission to not allow even the possibility of a data center application,” Demilio said, “I would have to sell the property to someone who does not need a special permit, and that means no public hearing. That means no delays. That means no workshops. And what that means, in all likelihood, is a warehouse or distribution center.”

A data center, she added, “is the most responsible path forward.”

Neighboring property owners disagree, raising concerns about the noise that would be generated by a computer data center, including what they described as a low-frequency hum from the computers and cooling system in such a facility. Some also raised concerns about the effect on the Muddy River and wildlife.

Kohan also raised concerns about the potential noise, as well as about the impact of a data center on the town’s electric grid. Wallingford is served by its own electric company. A company official who attended Monday’s public hearing, however, said the facility likely would be powered by Eversource.

Kohan said he would also like to know why more communities in the state have not taken steps to attract data centers. 

“What do other towns know that we don’t?” he asked.

Gershman stressed to the commission that his organization intends to continue to work closely with the town to address any concerns. 

Commission Chairman Jim Seichter, who recommended the change in the square footage allowed in the zone, reminded members of the public that while the commission had approved the amended text for the WI district zone, it does not mean a data center has been approved.

“This is just the first step of many, if in fact an application comes forward,” he said. “It allows for data centers in the WI zone, but it will be a long process if a data center comes forward.”

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