Should North Smithfield allow data centers?

No.

• Noise and water. Communities living near these facilities have raised real concerns about both.

• Our books are silent. Our zoning ordinance says nothing about data centers. That gap matters. In Smithfield, a developer is arguing their application came in before the town’s ban, so the project should go forward.

• The jobs are limited. Depending on the operator, estimates top out around 100–200 jobs.

Most of all, I don’t trust our town to hold these companies accountable. Again and again we’ve promised guardrails and then failed to enforce special use permits and our own ordinances. I’m worried this becomes Quarry 2.0. We need to deal with the Quarry today and make sure we aren’t facing the next one in 20 years.

A new technology arriving doesn’t obligate us to jump on the bandwagon. North Smithfield should decide its own future, with real protections for our natural and town resources.