Holyoke Ordinance Committee opens hearing on citywide data center zoning ban

HOLYOKE -- February 24, 2026, Holyoke's Ordinance Committee opened a public hearing on a proposed citywide zoning ban on data centers and continued it to April 14, sparking sharp debate between councilors and developers. Committee Chair Meg McGrath Smith presided over the hybrid session, joined by Councilors Ann Talheimer, Mimi Panik, and David Rivera. Councilor Panik, a lead sponsor of the order filed by nine councilors, framed the measure as a legal moratorium rather than a permanent ban, arguing the city's site-plan review process currently lacks the authority to impose binding conditions on data center applicants. Developer representative Benjamin Marshall, speaking on behalf of a group proposing a 50,000-square-foot facility on Water Street, called a blanket ban "a little bit extreme" and said HG&E has confirmed the project would not stress the local grid. Property owner Mark Samwick of 111 Mosher Street urged a time-limited moratorium instead, noting the city already hosts a data center, the high-performance computing center, without reported problems. The committee voted 4-0 to continue both the data center hearing and a separate residential parking zoning hearing to April 14, also marking graffiti and vehicle repair ordinance orders as complied with and forwarding an updated motorized scooter definition to the full City Council by unanimous roll-call vote.