Happy New Year! This week’s Zoning In captures a pattern that’s no longer emerging—it’s now the baseline. Across the country, data center development is colliding with a more organized and politically savvy opposition, as well as a growing chorus of scrutiny from state and federal policymakers. From proposals that quietly stall after securing incentives, to jurisdictions pushing projects forward despite intense public opposition, the dynamic is clear: communities are demanding transparency, elected officials are chasing revenue, and the politics surrounding data centers are hardening rapidly.
Several of this week’s stories preview the challenges the industry will face in 2026. In Massachusetts, a once-heralded hyperscale project has evaporated after years of tax negotiations, but before community confidence or infrastructure certainty were established. In Arizona and Virginia, projects are advancing even as trust erodes, setting the stage for moratoria, ballot initiatives, and extended political battles. Meanwhile, Ohio, Kansas, and Maryland show how opposition is organizing earlier, sharing playbooks, and increasingly shifting disputes from planning boards to elections. At the same time, rising concern among regulators and bipartisan political figures over electricity costs and grid reliability signals that local backlash is now shaping state and federal narratives as well.
Data Center Community Engagement Comes of Age: Lessons from 2025, Imperatives for 2026
If you missed it, check out Adam Waitkunas’ year-end blog, which explores why data center community engagement is coming of age—and why 2026 will be the year the industry either professionalizes stakeholder strategy or continues to absorb costly delays, pauses, and political backlash.
“Fight for the Soul”: Prince George’s County Becomes the Next High-Stakes Data Center Flashpoint
The Washington Post profiles how a proposed hyperscale redevelopment of the former Landover Mall site has sparked a major backlash—petitions, disruptions, and claims of environmental injustice—despite the county’s fiscal pressures and promised tax revenue. The story captures a key 2026 theme: data center debates are increasingly framed as equity, transparency, and political power struggles, not just land use.
2025: The Year Data Centers Became Political—And Harder to Build in Central Virginia
Central Virginia’s data center market surged in 2025, with inventory expanding at a pace that outstripped Chicago and Dallas. Google advanced major new campuses, Tract pursued large-scale developments, and the region further cemented its role as a national hub for cloud and AI infrastructure. But alongside that growth came a sharp rise in resistance, regulatory tightening, and project friction.
Local governments moved to eliminate by-right approvals, rural communities organized vocal opposition, and at least one major data center proposal was withdrawn entirely after sustained public pushback. In some cases, developers pivoted away from data centers altogether in favor of less controversial industrial uses. The takeaway: even in one of the country’s most mature data center markets, community sentiment, zoning politics, and infrastructure constraints are increasingly shaping what gets built—and what doesn’t.
From Hyperscale Hype to Abandoned Permit: Westfield’s Data Center That Never Was
A proposed hyperscale data center once touted as potentially the largest in Massachusetts now appears effectively abandoned—despite years of local approvals, generous tax incentives, and state-backed exemptions. Public records show no meaningful engagement from the developers since securing a special permit in 2021, missed environmental filings, withdrawal from critical grid studies, and the administrative dissolution of the project’s LLC. City officials say time is running out before the approvals expire.
The Westfield case underscores a growing risk for municipalities: complex, energy-intensive data center proposals that secure incentives and political support long before financing, infrastructure, or market viability are locked in. It also highlights how power constraints, permitting queues, and opaque developer structures can quietly stall projects—leaving communities with sunk political capital, unanswered questions, and no shovels in the ground.
Five AI Policy Fights Coming in 2026 — Including the Data Center War
The Hill previews a turbulent 2026 policy agenda: state-vs-federal authority over AI rules, export controls, international regulation clashes, and continued conflict over AI infrastructure buildout. For data centers, the signal is clear: the regulatory tug-of-war isn’t calming down—it’s becoming central to broader AI governance.
Maryland’s Next Front: Residents Push a Referendum After a Data Center Zone Wins Approval
After Frederick County approved a data center zoning plan concentrated around one area, opponents are mobilizing to put the decision to voters via referendum—arguing the impacts are too big for the public to be sidelined. It’s another example of local opposition professionalizing: moving from meeting-room protest to ballot strategy.
Sanders + DeSantis vs. Data Centers: Bipartisan Pushback Becomes a 2026 Warning Light
CNBC frames a new political alignment: prominent figures on the left and right elevating electricity costs, grid reliability, and local siting as reasons to slow the data center boom. The piece connects the controversy to PJM capacity constraints and rate impacts—arguing that as affordability dominates politics, data centers could become an increasingly mainstream campaign issue.
Pima County Pushes Project Blue Ahead — Even After Residents Revolt and Amazon Walks
Pima County approved a controversial data center despite intense opposition, uncertainty around the end user, and reports that Amazon backed out after the project shifted from water cooling to air cooling following Tucson’s reclaimed-water denial. Supporters are leaning on projected economic impacts; critics argue the long-term costs—water stress, grid strain, and public health concerns—will land on residents, not the developer.
Americans Don’t “Hate AI” — But Data Centers Are Becoming a Political Liability
Vox argues the “anti-AI” narrative is overstated: polling shows anxiety and support for tougher rules, but also significant optimism and a desire for U.S. AI leadership. The piece highlights a key dynamic for 2026—data centers may be where sentiment hardens fastest (electric bills, local siting fights), even if AI itself isn’t yet a top-tier voting issue for most people.
Small-Town Playbook: Ohio Village Hits Pause with a 180-Day Data Center Moratorium
After residents mobilized against an EdgeConneX proposal, Ashville enacted an emergency 180-day moratorium halting new data center zoning actions—citing uncertainty and the need for incoming officials to get oriented. The move underscores how quickly local governments are turning to procedural brakes (pauses, moratoria, withdrawals) once organized opposition takes hold.
Kansas Neighbors Sound the Alarm Before the First Filing: “No Application, Big Questions”
In the Andale/Colwich area, residents are organizing around a rumored large-scale data center footprint even though no formal county application has been submitted. The story shows a newer phase of opposition: early mobilization triggered by NDAs, land outreach, and lessons learned from other states—before developers can frame the narrative.
Ashville’s Moratorium Moment: Leaders Call It a “Nationwide Powder Keg”
A local account of Ashville’s 180-day moratorium vote emphasizes the politics of transparency: officials frame the pause as time to learn, simplify the facts, and hold a town forum—while acknowledging misinformation and social media escalation. It’s a snapshot of how communities are trying to regain control of fast-moving, high-stakes development fights.
“If They’re Going to Build It, Fine — But This Is Shaking Our Homes”: Life Next to a Mega Build
In Wisconsin, the story shifts from “will it happen?” to “what happens during construction?”—with residents reporting constant truck traffic, road closures, and quality-of-life impacts near a massive data center site. The developer provides a detailed construction schedule, illustrating how community conflict often persists well after approvals as disruption becomes tangible.
