Calvert County Pauses Data Center Approvals Following AWS Project Withdrawal

Calvert County Board of County Commissioners will convene a public hearing on Aug. 18, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in the Chesapeake Hearing Room, 150 Main St., Prince Frederick, to consider a temporary six-month moratorium on site plan approvals for data center development projects. Per Southern Maryland News Net, the proposed ordinance would suspend approvals while the Department of Planning & Zoning reviews zoning text amendments and completes supporting analysis related to data centers and heavy industrial use conditions.

Application Withdrawal Preceded the Hearing

Amazon Data Services Inc. (AWS) formally withdrew its Calvert Technology Center Conceptual Site Development Plan application on Aug. 8, 2026, according to the county's Aug. 13 update. The application had been filed in May 2026 for a proposed data center near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby. Withdrawal removes the application from active review; resubmission following the moratorium period remains procedurally available.

Moratorium Mechanism

The draft ordinance applies to site plan approvals for data center development projects. The six-month window permits regulatory review, zoning text amendment adoption, and completion of necessary studies. The ordinance may be substantively modified based on hearing testimony. Written comments submitted by close of business Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, enter the official record. Participation methods include in-person attendance, telephonic testimony (929-229-2458, meeting ID 202-970-551, passcode #), email to the Department of Planning & Zoning, and mail to 150 Main St., Prince Frederick, MD 20678.

Regional Precedent

Calvert's proposed pause aligns with several Maryland jurisdictions already restricting data center approvals. Frederick County has imposed a temporary moratorium through the end of December 2026. Prince George's County has adopted a two-year pause. Harford County has implemented an indefinite ban. At the Maryland Association of Counties summer conference in Ocean City, Loudoun County, Virginia Supervisor Michael Turner argued against blanket prohibitions, per citybiz reporting. Loudoun County hosts more than 250 data centers and maintains a real property tax rate approximately 25% lower than the rest of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, yet public sentiment has shifted toward opposition within the past six to nine months.

Recommended Regulatory Conditions

Turner has circulated formal recommendations to Maryland officials contemplating data center ordinances:

• Prohibit nondisclosure agreements between counties and prospective developers
• Establish noise ordinances covering operational hours and backup-generator activity
• Mandate developer disclosure of anticipated electricity consumption, water use, and wastewater disposal volumes
• Define setback and locational requirements relative to existing power infrastructure
• Cap pollution and noise emissions attributable to backup power systems

Monitoring Points for Somerset County

Somerset County has not filed a comparable data center application or moratorium. The Calvert hearing nonetheless establishes procedural precedent applicable to any future Southern Maryland data center proposal. Items warranting observation:

• Adopted Calvert ordinance text, once finalized, for statutory definitions of "data center" and "heavy industrial use"
• Post-moratorium application filings by hyperscale operators within Calvert County
• Somerset County Department of Planning & Zoning review of its own zoning classifications relative to data center and heavy industrial uses
• State legislation referenced at the MACo conference potentially preempting local moratorium authority

The Department of Planning & Zoning can be contacted at 410-535-1600, ext. 2356, for access to the full proposed ordinance text.