Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo has proposed a zoning amendment that would explicitly prohibit data center construction anywhere in the city. City staff and outside counsel who reviewed Salem’s zoning ordinance already concluded that data centers aren’t an allowed use under current rules, but the new amendment would define them as their own distinct use and close off any ambiguity. It heads to the City Council next, likely with a joint public hearing before the Planning Board.
The timing isn’t random. Data centers built to support AI have been landing in small New England towns that never expected to be in that conversation, drawn by cheap land and available power. Getting the zoning settled before an actual application shows up, rather than after, is the smart order of operations. Most towns don’t bother until the site plan is already on someone’s desk.
For Salem, that’s a statement about what kind of growth the city wants. A data center brings a handful of jobs and a large physical footprint, not exactly a match for a walkable coastal city built around Salem State, the harbor, and its downtown. Whether or not you think the ban is necessary, foreclosing that path early keeps the city’s character decisions in its own hands instead of a developer’s.
If you’re weighing property on the North Shore and want a read on where a town’s zoning is headed, that’s exactly the kind of thing I dig into before advising a client either way. No pressure, just a straight answer if you want one.
