Everett, MA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)

Section 37 of the Everett Zoning Ordinance, added on 10-28-2024 by Ord. No. C0260-24, governs the Everett Docklands Innovation District, the EDID. The district has 2 subdistricts, Subdistrict A and Subdistrict B. Under the INNOVATION heading of the use table, the row for Data Center reads Y, Y, SP, SP, SP, SP. The six columns are Master Planned Uses, Non-Master Planned Uses Less Than 5,000 sq ft of Gross Floor Area, and Non-Master Planned Uses Greater Than 5,000 sq ft of Gross Floor Area, each split into Sub A and Sub B.

The ordinance defines the term in subsection (e)(4): a use involving a building or premise in which the primary use is occupied by computers and telecommunications and related equipment, including supporting equipment, where information is processed, transferred or stored. For a Master Plan Development, Y means the Planning Board can, in its discretion, permit the use inside a Master Plan Special Permit, and the use must be specifically identified and approved there. For non-master-planned projects the mark is SP, and the Planning Board is the Special Permit Granting Authority. A Y for a non-master development would mean by right, but the Data Center row never carries one.

The EDID dimensional table gives non-master-planned uses a 10 ft. front yard, a 10 ft. side yard, a 20 ft. rear yard, a maximum height of 65 ft, and FAR of 1.0, which can be increased to 4.0 by special permit. Master Plan Special Permit projects list a maximum height of 370 ft, with a footnote tying that figure to the height that complies with FAA and Massport critical airspace limits. Rooftop screens, fully enclosed mechanical penthouses or fences erected to conceal equipment are excluded from the height calculation up to 40 feet, if set back a minimum of 10 feet from the roof edge. The parking table has no Data Center row, and its "All other uses" line leaves the figure to the Building Commissioner.