Frederick County leaders approved a zoning change to allow more data centers near Adamstown. Neighbors say the fight isn’t over yet.
ADAMSTOWN, Md. — Frederick County leaders passed a major zoning change that could transform farmland near Adamstown into sites for data centers. Supporters argue the move could bring jobs and revenue, while neighbors fear it will disrupt their rural way of life.
On Tuesday night, the County Council advanced a zoning overlay that allows data centers to be built on about 2,500 acres near the former Eastalco industrial site north of Adamstown. The council members discussed their reasons for voting for and against the overlay. In the end, they voted 5-2 to pass it.
County officials stress that the land accounts for less than 1% of Frederick’s total acreage, requires five acres of farmland preservation for every acre developed, and mandates a 500-foot buffer from homes.
Residents have spent months voicing opposition, packing public hearings and warning that large-scale data centers could bring noise, water demands, and new climate impacts.
“Adamstown? I’m petrified. I’m petrified that our houses are gonna shake, the windows are gonna shake,” resident Elyse Wilson told us back in August.
Others raised questions about whether the county has done enough homework.
County and business leaders counter that data centers represent a new stream of economic growth for a community that cannot rely only on taxing residents.
“We can’t continue to tax the residents. We have to bring in commercial. We have to have a sustainable way in order to make Frederick continue to be the best county in the state,” Kelly Schulz of the Maryland Tech Council.
County leaders and business leaders believe data centers will create jobs as well and put tax dollars into the county budget. Over the course of the voting night, several speakers brought up the tax dollars that data centers brought to several Northern Virginia counties.
The overlay vote does not immediately green-light new projects. Developers would still need to apply for and receive approval to build within the new zone. That step — part two of the process — is expected to bring another round of hearings later this month.
And opponents say they are not going anywhere.
“We’ve got an election coming up in 2026. If this council can’t manage to protect the citizens of this county, then the citizens will make some changes,” resident Steve Black warned.
For now, the fight over whether Frederick County’s farms could become server farms is far from over.