Bauxite I data center (Amazon, 3250 Digital Drive)

❓ Still unanswered

Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?

• What did the court decide on the residents' challenge to the generator permit? 🙋 I'll find out
• How much water will it use per day? 🙋 I'll find out
• Was a secret deal (NDA) signed? 🙋 I'll find out

🤝 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.