By Sam Lambert
The time to ask is now. On March 2, 2026 two Massachusetts municipal Planning Boards, in Lowell and Everett, were debating this very question. Lowell, MA is home to the Markley Data Center, a 14 acre colocation data center that has been the source of pain for its residential neighborhood, while Everett is in the process of approving the Master Plan for an area known as the Everett Docklands Innovation District, the ~100 acre former ExxonMobil site. While both communities are in very different relationships with data centers, they find themselves on very similar paths. In January, their respective City Councils approved ordinances; In Lowell, the City Council approved a 360 day moratorium on any expansion or new development of data centers to allow for appropriate protections and land uses to be defined in their zoning code, while in Everett, the City Council approved an amendment that would add Data Centers to the prohibited use table for the Everett Docklands Innovation District, which would effectively ban them from this developing area. These ordinances then moved on to their Planning Boards for Public Hearing, at which time the Planning Board role is to make a recommendation back to the City Council for their final decision.
In both cities, resident after resident spent their Monday evening at City Hall, lined up to voice their support for these ordinances to protect their homes, their community, and their future. They have organized, they have learned, they have shared their experiences, and they have demanded agency. Lowell’s Planning Board unanimously passed their recommendation in favor of the definition and moratorium of data centers in Lowell to the March 10th City Council meeting, while Everett’s Planning Board has continued their public hearing until April 6th to further define what a data center is and to explore the recommendation to make this prohibited use citywide. The residents of these gateway cities know firsthand the cost when developers use their resources to push through potentially harmful industries and they are demanding better. Local communities are taking these actions while waiting for the Massachusetts State House to take action for our state.
We are grateful for the local resident advocacy group Honest Future for Lowell and the Lowell community members who have been raising their collective voice over the years and who have so graciously shared their experiences while pushing their local decision-makers to take action. The countless hours they have spent of their personal time has not been in vain.
Is your community ready for a data center? The time to ask is now.