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

Table 9.1.1, the citywide permitted-use table under Article 9, marks 'Data Center' N (not permitted) in every zoning district except Commercial Industry, where it is allowed only as SP (Special Permit). That single row covers Neighborhood Residential, Urban Residential, all four Mid-Rise categories, High-Rise, Fabrication, Research & Development, Commercial Core, Commercial Business, and Civic; a data center cannot be established as of right anywhere in the city, and in twelve of the thirteen zoning districts it cannot be established at all.

Zoning Ordinance §9.2.8.b defines Data Center as a use 'providing information storage and processing services to other businesses or end users through a collection of computer servers and related information technology infrastructure,' classified among the Industrial Use Categories in §9.2.8. An applicant pursuing the Commercial Industry district's Special Permit must satisfy the citywide Special Permit review criteria at §15.2.1.e, and the review board then layers on two data-center-specific findings before it can approve or deny: mitigation of any negative aesthetic impacts that result from required security measures and restrictions on visibility into the building's interior, and the applicant's ability to adequately contribute to increasing employment opportunities in the city.

Because both additional findings are committed to the review board's discretion, Somerville sets no separate numeric floor-area, power-load, or landscaped-buffer standard for data centers beyond the Commercial Industry district's own dimensional table; the Special Permit process itself is the siting control. The provision was most recently amended by Ordinance 2024-14 and took effect November 26, 2024.