By MDBayNews Staff
A growing debate over data center development in Montgomery County is exposing sharp divisions over land use, energy policy, and long-term planning—prompting a warning from congressional candidate Chris Burnett that the county risks repeating mistakes already playing out across the Potomac.
During a Tuesday council meeting, members of the Montgomery County Council are set to introduce competing proposals governing where—and how—data centers may operate in the county.
One zoning text amendment, sponsored by Council President Fani-González along with Councilmembers Natali Fani-González, Andrew Friedson Balcombe, and Laurie-Anne Sayles, would sharply limit data center development to industrially zoned areas—primarily near the Montgomery County Airpark and along the Shady Grove corridor.
A separate bill from Councilmember Evan Glass would instead establish a task force to study the potential economic benefits, infrastructure demands, and community impacts of data centers before imposing new restrictions.
Burnett, a retired Marine Corps officer and national security attorney running in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, says neither approach goes far enough without a comprehensive strategy.
“Whatever the Councilmembers decide should be aligned to a part of a strategic plan,” Burnett said in a statement. “I offer real leadership strategies instead of knee-jerk reactions and band-aid solutions through my Innovation Corridor plan.”
Lessons From Virginia
Burnett specifically pointed to Northern Virginia, now home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, as a cautionary tale. Rapid, fragmented approvals there have fueled rising energy costs, land-use conflicts, and mounting pressure on local infrastructure—issues increasingly visible to Maryland residents as utility bills climb.
“The piecemeal approach being proposed is what got Virginia into the mess it’s in,” Burnett warned. “We appear to be wading into the exact same scenario without any long-term solutions.”
Center-right critics have echoed those concerns, arguing that local governments too often chase short-term tax revenue without accounting for grid strain, water use, or national security implications tied to critical digital infrastructure.
National Security and Energy Concerns
Burnett framed the debate as more than a zoning dispute, emphasizing that technologies driving data center growth—artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing—are now core national security priorities.
“We can leverage those priorities to get the infrastructure we need and the zoning that aligns with residential interests,” he said, “while developing advanced energy technologies that supplement the grid, not drain it.”
That argument resonates as Maryland lawmakers simultaneously push aggressive climate mandates, retire baseload power generation, and rely more heavily on imported electricity—conditions critics say leave little margin for energy-hungry facilities like hyperscale data centers.
A Broader Policy Test
The council’s decision, expected to move forward this week, may shape Montgomery County’s economic and environmental trajectory for decades. For voters in Western Maryland and the I-270 corridor, the issue is quickly becoming a test of whether local leaders can balance innovation, affordability, and quality of life—without repeating policy failures next door.
As Burnett put it, “Short-term gains at the expense of local residents are not a growth strategy.”
This article is part of MDBayNews’ ongoing coverage of data center expansion, energy policy, and land-use decisions in Maryland.
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