Board grants two continuances, weighs data center pause
Planning Board · Meeting of September 22, 2026
North Andover Planning Board debates a possible moratorium on data centers but takes no vote. Chair Sean Kevlahan cited water resource strain, ratepayer power costs and cooling noise exceeding 60 decibels as reasons to consider a pause; Director of Planning Jean Enright said the state now has 44 data centers and that Everett, Mansfield and Lowell have each adopted their own restrictions. Member Denevan O'Connell said he was "not educated enough" to back moratorium language yet, while member Kate Kelly argued the board should "stay in our lane" and not treat data centers differently from other commercial projects.
Member Peter Boynton renewed a years-old request for annual DPW lake-water testing data. Separately, the board unanimously continued hearings on a 291 Mass Ave ADU application and a Zero Berry Street project to Oct. 6, and adopted its 2027 meeting calendar.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,343 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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