Brewer is moving to allow data centers that could use as much power as a small city, even as other Greater Bangor towns ban them.
The City Council is weighing zoning changes already approved by the Planning Board that would permit 50-megawatt data centers. They would only be allowed in specific industrial zones. Developers have already looked at a city-owned site behind the Brewer landfill, Assistant City Manager Jason Moffitt said.
The changes wouldn’t approve any specific project, and no one has formally proposed one. But Moffitt said people in the data center industry told city officials that expanded rules would make Brewer a more attractive place to build. While past developers have expressed interest, Moffitt didn’t say when specifically that happened or which companies reached out.
If the changes are approved, Brewer would be the first major municipality in the region to make room for the facilities. Bangor and Old Town have passed bans this year, saying the environmental effects of data centers aren’t yet understood.
The Brewer Planning Board recommended the changes to the city’s land use Monday. Currently, Brewer’s ordinances allow for 20-megawatt or smaller data centers.
In other communities, 50-megawatt centers have taken up roughly a dozen acres. The zones where a center can be built are all in south Brewer, mostly along the city line with Orrington.
During Monday’s meeting, Moffitt and Bill Birney, a member of Gov. Janet Mills’ Maine Data Center Advisory Council, said the changes are needed if a data center were to be built in the city, Planning Board member Joy Sinclair said.
Largely, the discussions at the meeting were “pro data center,” Sinclair, who was the only member to vote against the changes, said. The downsides of a possible center were shared, but not as extensively discussed as potential positives, she said.
Meeting minutes and a recording of the Monday meeting were not available, City Planner Linda Johns said Friday.
Birney did not respond to a request for comment.
A release from City Manager Eric Glidden sent to residents Tuesday echoes what Moffitt and Birney said at the meeting.
“Allowing development up to that limit could, however, provide a significant opportunity to expand Brewer’s tax base and benefit residents and businesses,” Glidden said.
If a 50-megawatt project were developed, the city’s tax base could nearly double, according to the release. That addition could lead to property taxes going down by 25%, the city having funds to repair the city pool or to buy a ladder truck for the fire department, Glidden said in the release.
An informational meeting about the proposed changes will be held on Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. in the Brewer Auditorium.