From what the Spy could see, the Easton Town Council handled a mostly routine agenda Monday night, although several issues could have a larger impact in the months ahead.
The most immediate concern is an emergency repair planned for Bay Street near Hammond Street, where erosion has created voids beneath the roadway. State Highway officials said a damaged drainage pipe has allowed water to undermine part of the road, prompting an accelerated repair project expected to begin later this month.
The work will require a lane closure and flagging for an estimated 1 to 2 weeks. Officials said the road remains safe for traffic, but continued heavy rain could force a temporary closure. The site is especially sensitive because it borders Richards Memorial Park, a historic African American cemetery. An archaeologist will monitor excavation work, and construction will stop if anything of historical importance is discovered.
Council President Don Abbatiello asked Town Attorney Sharon VanEmburgh to work with Easton Utilities on a proposed 12-month moratorium on new large-scale data centers. No data-center application is currently before the town, but Abbatiello said Easton should examine potential effects on land use, electrical capacity, utility costs, water consumption, and residents’ quality of life before a developer submits a plan. “This is the appropriate time to proactively evaluate the issue rather than wait until an application has been submitted,” Abbatiello said. The council raised no objection to having staff prepare the proposal.
A longer-term growth question was raised by Easton attorney Tom Alspach, a Talbot Preservation Alliance board member. Alspach said the town’s proposed goal of holding annual growth to 1 percent could conflict with housing developments already approved and with approximately 2,000 additional units that could be built under existing zoning. He suggested that Easton consider comprehensive rezoning or require more residential projects to go through the planned-unit-development process. That would allow the council to consider whether major projects are consistent with the comprehensive plan rather than leaving approval entirely to the Planning Commission under existing “by-right” zoning. First Ward Councilmember Maureen Curry said Alspach raised points worth exploring further, and Abbatiello agreed.
The full meeting can be viewed here.
One Response
I am gratified that our Town Council President Don Abbatiello has proposed a moratorium on data centers invading “The Land of Pleasant Living.” The horror stories from across the nation of these data centers gobbling water and electricity – indeed, causing steep utility rate increases of ordinary citizens – should give us all pause. May the oligarchs of the A.I. Data Invasion Industrial Complex visit Greenland.