Woodlawn data center (former Social Security complex)
Also called: Security Land Baltimore Data Center, 1500 Woodlawn Drive
A developer wants to put a 150 MW data center on 42 acres of the old Social Security complex in Woodlawn. Neighbors asked about water and power use. The plan is on hold under a county pause.
Where things stand: No full development plans filed yet. On hold under Baltimore County's data center moratorium.
🕒 Latest update (Feb 2, 2026): Baltimore County Council paused data center permits (Bill 3-26), on hold until about January 2027.
What we know
- 📍 Where1500 Woodlawn Drive, Woodlawn (Census geocoder), Unincorporated Baltimore County, Baltimore County
- 🏢 CompanySecurity Land and Development LP
- 🌳 Size42 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs150 megawatts (about as much as 120,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromDeveloper would give BGE 5 acres for a new substation.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- Who would use the data center? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water would it use? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the developer file development plans after the moratorium ends? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Nov 2023Social Security ended its lease on the complex.
- March 2024A demolition permit was granted for the site.
- Dec 2, 2025State senator hosted a community meeting on the data center plan.
- Feb 2, 2026Baltimore County Council paused data center permits (Bill 3-26), on hold until about January 2027.
Local votes and rules
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
The county council voted unanimously to extend the data center pause through Dec. 31, 2027 (Bill 79-26). No permits, development plans or zoning requests for data centers can be approved until then while the council weighs the planning board's advice.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
The county council voted unanimously to pause data center permits (Bill 3-26). The pause was set to end by about January 2027. The planning board had to study data centers and send advice by Oct. 1, 2026. A 42-acre data center had been floated for the former Social Security site in Woodlawn.
📜 Data center rules
On the same day it paused data center permits, the county council repealed the data center rules it had passed in August 2024.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Woodlawn Data Center, Baltimore, MD: Maryland Data Center Series Pt. 2 · Nature Forward · May 27, 2026
- Maryland counties to data center industry: Slow down · Bay Journal · Feb 16, 2026
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