Overview
- The County Council unanimously moved County Executive Bob Cassilly’s bill forward as emergency legislation, replacing a proposed 180-day moratorium.
- A public hearing on the permanent ban is set for June 9, and a vote after that could send it to the executive for immediate enactment.
- Cassilly filed the ban on May 6 after his office said data centers are not specifically allowed under Harford County’s zoning code.
- A packed hearing drew many residents who opposed data centers over environmental impacts and potential hits to property values.
- Mountain Branch Golf Course owner Bill Vasilakopoulos urged rules instead of a ban and promoted a Joppa project he says could bring hundreds of jobs and over $100 million a year in taxes.