The Harrington, DE City Council rejected a zoning change for a data center despite a million dollar incentive by the developer. In our partnership with Spotlight Delaware Delmarva Public Media's Don Rush talks with reporter Olivia Marble about the decision. The full interview can be heard on this Friday's Delmarva Today at noon on WSDL and WESM.
The potential data center brought strong opposition from residents, who packed the library meeting room and spilled into the hallway and outside the building. Spotlight Delaware reporter Olivia Marble said the reaction was clear.
“People were angry about the idea of a data center in their town,” Marble said. At times, residents interrupted the developer’s attorney, shouting, “Just say no.”
The council was not voting directly on a proposed data center, but rather on whether to change the city’s zoning laws to permit such facilities in a particular manufacturing area. Marble said the attorney for a proposed project at this former cold storage warehouse argued the council would still have the opportunity to review individual projects.
When a town attorney asked those in attendance who opposed the zoning change to raise their hands, Marble said virtually every resident did so.
The vote leaves data centers out of Harrington for now. There was also discussion of potentially going further. Harrington’s vice mayor, Darrin Simpson, said he wanted city staff to explore drafting a direct ban on data centers, though this was not discussed further at the meeting.
“As it is right now, data centers are not allowed in Harrington,” she said, adding that the public reaction made revisiting the issue “very, very unpopular.”
