Overview
- Hours before a Planning Board hearing that had been moved to Nottingham Elementary School for a large turnout, developer Tom Moulton withdrew the data-center conceptual consultation and the item was removed from the meeting agenda.
- Moulton described the withdrawal as temporary and filed it 'without prejudice' so he can gather more information and decide whether the Route 4 site is appropriate for the project.
- Opponents organized rapidly, collecting more than 25,000 petition signatures and citing worries about heavy water and electricity use, constant cooling noise, and loss of the town’s rural character.
- The developer said the planned building would be about 4 acres rather than the widely circulated 40-acre figure, argued the project could boost local tax revenue, and said misinformation and threats helped drive his decision to pause.
- The dispute in Nottingham reflects a wider pattern of small towns pushing back on data centers because of strain on well water, power needs, and land use, and residents and officials say they will keep scrutinizing any future filings.