Groton ― The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday unanimously passed regulations to place limits on potential data centers in town in response to concerns from residents over noise and environmental impacts.

The commission approved the proposed regulations, nearly a year in the works, with support from many residents, but over the objections of Gotspace Data Partners, LLC, a company that is seeking to build three large data center buildings off Route 117 and Paulson Road.

About 15 to 20 people spoke Tuesday in favor of the regulations, with most concerned with the impact a large data center might have on the environment and neighborhoods, the town’s Assistant Planning Director Deb Jones told The Day on Wednesday. Two people, associated with companies interested in developing data centers, spoke in opposition, she said.

The regulations, which Jones said are slated to go into effect July 14, limit the size of a data center to 12,500 square feet and stipulate that a data center would conditionally be allowed only in industrial zones in town.

Any data center proposals must meet the state’s noise standards, include a fire suppression plan, and can’t be located within 1,500 feet of a property where another data center is housed. The data centers cannot use fossil fuels, except if power is suddenly lost, and water evaporation techniques cannot be used for cooling.

The regulations conditionally allow accessory data centers, the type of small data centers a business might use for its operations, in all zones, except for green districts. Accessory data centers cannot be larger than 1,000 square feet or larger than 20% of the primary usage on site.

“The proposed regulations address the major public concerns regarding data center size, location, noise level and fossil fuel usage,” resident Carol Oviatt wrote in an email to the town.

Resident Kristen Earls wrote that the regulations “balance appropriately scaled data center allowances and also protect Groton from serious environmental, public health, energy and residential quality of life threats endemic to larger-scale centers.”

Resident Shirley Parsons wrote that she appreciates the regulations’ size limits, attention to noise, limits on how close potential data canters can be near to each other, and prohibiting climate-warming fossil fuel for back-up generation except in emergencies.

“We preserve and protect this beautiful part of the state for present and future generations, as well as for the flora and fauna that cannot speak for themselves,” Parsons wrote. “It is our collective responsibility to do so.”

The Town Council in 2021 approved a community host agreement with Gotspace Data, which is the initial step for a developer looking to build a large-scale data centers. Town Manager John Burt has said the town has not yet received an application and Gotspace also would need to go through the process of purchasing the land.

In 2022, the Town Council turned down an offer for a community host agreement from another developer, NE Edge LLC, who also proposed a large data center.

In a letter, Nicholas Fiorillo, manager of Gotspace Data, called for a “cease and desist” of Tuesday’s agenda item and wrote that the town is “clearly looking to derail the Plaintiffs development of data campuses that are proposed on its data campus sites.”

Fiorillo said by phone Wednesday that Groton has executed a community host agreement and power-purchase agreement to allow the construction of hyper-scale data centers larger than 12,500 square feet. He accused Groton of attempting to repeal the agreements with Gotspace Data by blocking development of data centers by limiting their size.

He said Gotspace plans to comply with the state’s sound attenuation requirements and would be willing to provide hydrogen-powered backup generators, instead of diesel fossil fuel powered generators, to limit the environmental impacts if a facility were to lose power from the grid.

Fiorillo said he plans to appeal the commission’s decision. An appeal would be heard in state Superior Court.

k.drelich@theday.com