4 data center projects in Unincorporated Frederick County
Who decides here: the Frederick County Council or Commissioners decides on zoning for land outside city and town limits.
In Unincorporated Frederick County
Quantum Frederick / Frederick Digital Campus (former Eastalco aluminum plant)
Unincorporated Frederick County, Frederick County
2,100 acres · for Several companies: Aligned Data Centers, Rowan Digital Infrastructure, Amazon Web Services
🕒 Sept 1, 2026: County Executive announced a proposed agreement: the developer would give $110 million i…
Being builtAligned Data Centers Maryland campus (IAD-04 and IAD-06)
Unincorporated Frederick County, Frederick County
75 acres
🕒 Oct 2025: Construction began on a second building (IAD-06).
Reported in the news, not confirmed yet
Being builtBauxite I data center (Amazon, 3250 Digital Drive)
Unincorporated Frederick County, Frederick County
151 acres · for Amazon (Amazon Data Services, Inc. holds the air permit)
🕒 April 24, 2026: Nearby residents asked a court to review the generator permit, citing health, noise and …
Approved, not built yetBauxite II and Bauxite III data centers (Rowan)
Unincorporated Frederick County, Frederick County
166.6 acres · for Amazon (reported)
🕒 May 28, 2026: State held a public meeting on Amazon's generator permit application.
Local votes and rules
🤝 Agreement with the company
County Executive Jessica Fitzwater turned down a $110 million community benefits deal with Catellus, the Quantum Frederick developer, after residents raised concerns. The deal included money for a school, a park, job training and a fire engine.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
County Executive Jessica Fitzwater ordered the county to stop taking or reviewing applications for new data centers and their substations. It was first set to end Dec. 31, 2026. In September 2026 she extended it to July 1, 2027. Projects approved before June 2025, including the current Quantum Frederick projects, are not affected.
⚖️ Court case
Residents gathered more than 21,000 signatures to put the data center zone map to a public vote. Data center companies and landowners sued. A circuit judge and then the Maryland Supreme Court ruled the map could not go on the ballot. The court said the map is not a law that can be put to a vote, and the petition was unclear.
⚖️ Court case
Nearby residents asked a court to review the state air permit for Amazon's diesel backup generators at the Quantum Frederick campus, citing health, noise and air monitoring.
🗺️ Zoning change
The county council voted 5-2 to approve the map of the data center zone: about 2,600 acres north of Adamstown, around the Quantum Frederick campus and the old Alcoa Eastalco plant. That is over 1,000 acres more than the planning commission suggested.
📜 Data center rules
The county council voted 5-2 for Bill 25-09. It creates a special 'overlay' zone. Data centers and their power substations can only be built on land inside this zone. The zone can cover at most 1% of the county, about 4,200 acres.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Unincorporated Frederick County. - Go to county meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
The Potomac Edison Company (company).
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Maryland.
🙋 Open tasks here
- When will the County Council vote on the $110 million development agreement (DRRA)?
- How much water will the whole campus use per day, and where will it come from?
- Will new high-voltage power lines be built to serve the campus?
- Was a secret deal (NDA) signed with the county?
- Who will use the Aligned buildings?
- How much water will they use per day?
- When will the first building start running?
- What did the court decide on the residents' challenge to the generator permit?
- How much water will it use per day?
- Was a secret deal (NDA) signed?
- Has the state decided on Amazon's generator permit for 3300 Radiant Way?
- How many megawatts will Bauxite II and III use?
- Which Bauxite site is at 3300 Radiant Way?