Board backs data center ban, stalls water hookup vote
Planning Board · Meeting of August 5, 2026
Bridgewater Planning Board recommends data center ban, stalls a contentious water hookup fight. The board voted 5-0 to recommend zoning ordinance D-FY26-016, which would bar high-intensity data centers from every zoning district, after residents Janet Hanson and Donna Jewell argued its 25,000-square-foot threshold was too permissive. Separately, attorney Brian Cafferty of Partridge Snow & Hahn told the board "there's no reason, no legal standing for the town to deny us water" on behalf of client Bedford Street Holdings, whose 292 Bedford Street project has been stuck since May over a disputed municipal water hookup and a $27,858 fee the town says never cleared.
Chair Patrick Driscoll said he'd "have to vote no tonight" without DPW support, and the board continued the matter to August 19. A related site plan for 683 Bedford Street was also continued after the applicant couldn't produce proof abutters were notified.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,854 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of August 5, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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