Holyoke MA AI data center ban (2026)
Holyoke, MA — Zoning Ordinance Banning AI Data Centers Above 12 MW Citywide, With a Carve-Out for the Existing Green High Performance Computing Center (June 2026)
Holyoke, MA · City of Holyoke, Mass. — Zoning Ordinance amendment banning data centers (June 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- June 17, 2026
- Applies to
- Any party seeking to develop an AI data center in Holyoke; the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, which must remain within its 12 MW cap; city zoning officials.
- Enforced by
- City of Holyoke zoning enforcement / Holyoke City Council
Holyoke became the first community in Massachusetts to ban AI data centers. The City Council voted 9-4 in June 2026 to amend the city's zoning ordinance, adding a definition of 'Data Center' and providing that the use is not allowed anywhere in the city; Mayor Joshua Garcia signed it the following day. The prohibition reaches AI data center development above 12 megawatts. What makes the ordinance interesting is the carve-out. Holyoke is home to the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, founded more than a decade ago by a consortium of universities for scientific research and running almost entirely on carbon-free power. Rather than ban the category and force an awkward conflict with a facility the city values, the ordinance lets that center continue operating under the same 12-megawatt cap. So the measure is not opposition to computing infrastructure as such — it distinguishes between a research facility on clean power at modest scale and speculative hyperscale AI development, and permits only the former. Holyoke's own electricity comes largely from municipal hydropower, which is part of why the city attracted the computing center in the first place.
Who is protected: Holyoke residents, through a citywide prohibition on AI data center development above 12 MW, while preserving an existing clean-powered university research computing facility under a capped exception.
Legal detail
City of Holyoke, Mass. — amendment to the Holyoke Zoning Ordinance adopted by City Council 9-4 on June 16, 2026 and signed by Mayor Joshua Garcia on June 17, 2026. Adds a definition of 'Data Center' to the zoning ordinance and provides that the use is NOT ALLOWED ANYWHERE in the city; the prohibition reaches AI data center development above 12 MW. GRANDFATHER CARVE-OUT: the existing Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center — established over a decade earlier by a university consortium for scientific research and operating almost entirely on carbon-free power — may continue operating, subject to a 12 MW cap. DRAFTING SIGNIFICANCE: the measure is calibrated rather than categorical. By pairing a use prohibition with a capped exception for an existing clean-powered research facility, it distinguishes between modest-scale carbon-free research computing and speculative hyperscale AI development, permitting only the former. Most municipal bans in this dataset either prohibit the use outright (New Jersey's wave) or pause it temporarily (the dominant moratorium pattern); a permanent ban with a defined capped exception is uncommon. FIRST IN STATE: reported as the first Massachusetts municipality to enact a citywide AI data center ban. Context: Holyoke operates municipal hydropower, which is a principal reason the Green High Performance Computing Center located there. State-level companion: Massachusetts EO 658 of 2026-09-08 (see Massachusetts EO 658 responsible data center development (2026)); Westfield MA separately adopted a one-year moratorium.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Holyoke, MA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | June 17, 2026 |
| Citation | City of Holyoke, Mass. — Zoning Ordinance amendment banning data centers (June 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Data centers are not an allowed use anywhere in the city; the grandfathered facility is limited to 12 MW |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Holyoke banned new data centers. But it likes the eco-conscious one it already has — WBUR |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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