Milldam Monthly

Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly

This week’s roundup once again highlights an increasingly costly mistake for data center developers: waiting too long to meaningfully engage the public. The industry has been warned for years that engagement needs to begin early—before rumors spread, opposition organizes, and residents feel decisions are being made behind closed doors. Yet we continue to see developers arrive with completed plans, controlled announcements, and little meaningful outreach. Even more troubling, some projects that have already faced lawsuits, […]

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Zoning in

Zoning in

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly

As we celebrate Independence Day and the principles of self-governance, this week’s Zoning In reflects a similar theme playing out across the country: communities are demanding a greater voice in shaping data center development. This week brought continued calls for moratoriums, lawsuits, protests, and greater transparency, along with San Marcos, Texas’ decision to ban data centers through its zoning code. We also saw the official end of Virginia’s long-running Digital Gateway project—a reminder that even […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

Perhaps the most telling story this week remains the ongoing fallout from the Stratos project in Utah. After previously suggesting project opponents were tied to the Chinese government, investor Kevin O’Leary publicly retracted those claims, acknowledging he had no evidence to support them. Coming on the heels of his recent admission that the project rollout was mishandled, the episode has become a cautionary tale for an industry already facing a growing trust deficit. Rather than […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In highlights a troubling trend for the data center industry: opposition continues to accelerate across the country. A new report from Data Center Watch found that at least 75 projects representing more than $130 billion in investment were delayed or canceled during the first quarter of 2026 alone—already surpassing the number of construction setbacks reported during all of last year. At the same time, the number of organized opposition groups has more […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly

This week’s headlines suggest that, in many cases, the data center industry continues to repeat mistakes it should have learned from by now. Across the country, communities are demanding greater transparency, more meaningful engagement, and a stronger voice in decisions that will shape their future. In Virginia, residents say they were blindsided by a gas-powered data center operating next to their neighborhood. In New Mexico, a long-promised community meeting sparked frustration after residents felt their […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly

Among the most notable developments in this week’s Zoning In is environmental activist Erin Brockovich launching a national map designed to track data center projects and community concerns, potentially giving local opposition groups both a centralized platform and a high-profile advocate. In New York, nearly 500 small business owners joined calls for greater oversight of the industry, further expanding the coalition of residents, environmental groups, and elected officials pushing for tighter scrutiny of data center […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In reinforces a trend we’re seeing again and again: projects are being delayed, reshaped, or stopped altogether, not just over energy or water concerns, but over trust, transparency, and process. In New York, a proposal sparked more than 2,000 petition signatures before plans were even formalized, while in North Carolina, officials voided an approved rezoning due to process missteps. In Texas, residents are now threatening a recall after a project moved forward […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In underscores a hard truth: the data center industry is still playing catch-up from past missteps, and the learning curve on community engagement remains steep. Projects are becoming flashpoints faster than ever, not just over energy or water, but around trust, transparency, and process. From Florida to Pennsylvania to Missouri, we’re seeing developments delayed, scaled back, or derailed—not simply because of what’s proposed, but because of how it’s introduced and how communities […]

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Zoning in

Zoning in

in Client News, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In highlights a clear shift: while energy and water concerns are still present, they’re increasingly being overshadowed by transparency and community engagement—and the consequences when both fall short. Across multiple markets, projects introduced late or with limited public visibility are triggering immediate backlash, with residents focusing less on technical impacts and more on process, access to information, and whether their voices are being heard. That breakdown is showing up in real time. […]

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Zoning In

Zoning In

in Client News, Milldam Minute, Milldam Monthly, Milldam News

This week’s Zoning In shows the data center debate moving decisively from city halls to statehouses. New York lawmakers introduced a three-year moratorium to study grid, ratepayer, and water impacts—while other states are floating similar “pause and prove it” approaches. Referendums (Janesville), lawsuits (Hobart), and even NDA backlash in Michigan signal that process and transparency are now just as combustible as power and water. At the local level, timelines and trust are everything. Fermi’s permitting […]

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