New Hampshire data center developer withdraws plans hours before opponents were to pack town meeting

• A data center proposal in New Hampshire has been withdrawn amid backlash over environmental concerns.

• Nottingham residents have raised noise and water pollution concerns.

• Developer Thomasom Moulton, who said he received death threats, plans to re-evaluate the project.

Hours before a scheduled meeting in Nottingham, New Hampshire, data center The developer abruptly withdrew the plans after the proposal called for a move to a larger venue due to growing backlash.

“There was a lot of opposition, so I wasn’t surprised,” Tracey Stickney, Nottingham’s Planning Department coordinator, told Business Insider on Tuesday, adding that it was “nice” to see people coming together and taking care of their local community.

He said he expects residents of the town, which currently has a population of about 5,300, to come to the meeting and voice their concerns.

The proposed project, backed by local developer Thomas Moulton through Nottingham Business Park LLC, had sparked growing backlash from residents concerned about environmental impacts, noise and the transformation of their rural town.

A petition opposing the project on Change.org has collected more than 25,000 signatures and has been supported by residents who fear the development will fundamentally change the character of Nottingham.

The fight in Nottingham is part of a growing wave resistance to data center development Across the U.S., from Virginia to Georgia to Texas, communities are pushing back on projects saying they strain water supplies, consume enormous amounts of electricity, generate constant noise and turn rural areas into industrial corridors.

As Big Tech companies race to build the infrastructure needed to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, residents and local officials are increasingly making demands. tighter regulations and environmental review, especially in small towns unaccustomed to hosting massive digital infrastructure projects.

Nottingham resident Brad Weit, who started the petition, said local residents were caught off guard by the proposal and were concerned about the possibility of large-scale industrial infrastructure being built in such an area. rural community It’s known more for its forests and lakes than its server farms.

“I grew up hunting and fishing in these woods. I grew up on the lakes and rivers. I value the beauty of New Hampshire and want to preserve that, especially in a small town like Nottingham that’s not very industrial,” Weit told Business Insider.

He said the turmoil reflected broader concern about rapid transit. data center expansion Reaching out to small towns that do not have the resources and in some cases the water supply to absorb projects of this scale.

“New Hampshire, and especially this area near the coast, has been in severe drought for years,” Weit said. “Of all the places I had read about these, I was completely surprised to see them pop up, the next one being Nottingham.”

In a statement, Moulton said the company withdrew its request for a conceptual consultation “without prejudice” to allow time for “additional research” and to determine “whether this is an appropriate use for the site.”

Moulton said in an interview that the project was consumed by “misunderstanding and misinformation,” including online claims that the company planned to build “a 40-acre building.” He said the proposed building would be about 4 acres.

“I think the biggest thing is environmental concerns” said Moulton, adding that residents had voiced their fears about noise and water pollution. “If we put together accurate and accurate information and present it in a fair and transparent way, let everyone make up their minds; If they don’t want it, they don’t want it.”

Moulton argued that the project could bring a large unexpected tax to Nottingham, which has a limited commercial tax base.

“It’s kind of like winning a lottery ticket when it comes to tax revenue,” he said.

By Tuesday afternoon, he had decided it was better to temporarily retreat rather than deal with the backlash, which he said included threats to his life.

Moulton emphasized that he lives in this community and must personally respond to neighbors affected by the project.

“I’m not some guy from New York trying to do housing development and doing it irresponsibly,” he said. “I live in the community and I want to do the right thing.”

For residents like Weit, these assurances were not enough. Weit said locals were concerned Nottingham could lose control when a project of this scale entered the city. future development.

Moulton said his aim was to balance residents’ concerns by proactively thinking about Nottingham’s future.

“Someone is going to do it no matter what,” Moulton said of the growing demand for data infrastructure. “I’m just trying to plan and see if this could be something for the future of the state and the future of the community.”

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