USA › New Hampshire › Strafford County › Rochester City

No project in Rochester City, but 1 nearby

Who decides here: the City Council of Rochester City votes on zoning. The Strafford County may review big projects too.

Nearby (within 15 miles)

Stopped or cancelledabout 10 miles away

Nottingham Business Park data center (withdrawn)

Nottingham, Rockingham County

40 acres

🕒 Sept 2026: Voters approved a 1-year data center moratorium, 1,335 to 143.

Local votes and rules

📌 Other

After the new zoning rule passed, the mayor said a task force led by a city councilor would study the effects of data centers and suggest more rules. The Oct. 6, 2026 council agenda lists a new ad-hoc committee on data centers with eight members.

Oct 6, 2026Source

🗺️ Zoning change

Rochester's City Council changed the zoning rules so data centers are not allowed anywhere in the city except the Recycling Industrial zone. There, a builder would need a special permit (conditional use permit) and site plan approval from the Planning Board. The mayor said state law does not let the city ban data centers outright, so this is meant to discourage them. No data center has applied in Rochester.

Sept 1, 2026Source

Built & runningBeing builtApproved, not built yetProposedStopped or cancelledHollow dot (when zoomed in): exact site not known yet, pin shows the town

What you can do

Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Rochester City.
Go to council meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing.
Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.

📣 Report something here

🔔 Get told first

⚡ Your electric company

Depending on where you live in Rochester City: Public Service Co. of Nh (company) or Unitil Energy Systems (company).

Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in New Hampshire.