I have written a few posts about the proposed Servistar Realties data center in Westfield, the one planned over the Barnes Aquifer. They include Can Data Centers Be Built and Operated Responsibly? Ask My Hometown, Inside NVIDIA's 113-Degree Cooling Design, and Westfield's Data Center Question, and The Trout Stream Under the Turnpike, and the Data Center Over the Barnes Aquifer. Last week the project got a decision. On Tuesday, the Westfield Planning Board voted unanimously to deny the developer's request to extend its special permit, according to Boston.com. The special meeting ran about two hours.
The project carried a $3 billion price tag and covered more than 150 acres. The board granted the original permits in October 2021. Servistar never bought the land. Its limited liability company status expired in late 2024, and it never recorded the permit with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. Board members found no good cause for an extension. Five years is a long time to hold a permit for land you do not own.
Servistar's representative, Paul Corey, blamed the market. He cited the wait for state tax incentives, which Governor Healey paused this summer, and federal tariffs that disrupted chip supplies and energy costs. Board members disagreed. The chair said a building should already have gone up.
Two items remain open. Servistar has 20 days to appeal under state law. The City Council passed a one-year moratorium on data centers in July, but this project was exempt because it was already underway. If the denial stands, Westfield will have no large data center pending and a moratorium covering new applications.
My earlier posts covered water and cooling. The board decided on missing paperwork, so those questions never reached a vote. They will return with the next proposal, and you can expect the next developer to own the land first. Watch the appeal window.
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