Shutesbury Planning Board approves data center bylaw draft, sets March public hearing

Planning Board · Meeting of February 9, 2026

Shutesbury Planning Board unanimously advances data center bylaw draft and schedules March 9 public hearing. The five-member board, chaired by Nathan Bressler, spent most of the February 9 session reviewing tracked-change edits to the proposed bylaw, which governs data center siting, battery storage, water use, and emergency response. Fire Chief Leonard Surwilo told the board he has no PFAS-containing foam and would consult the state fire marshal's office on any large commercial battery install, confirming that requiring developer consultation with the fire department on emergency response plans is "really kind of almost standard." After nine roll-call and voice votes, the board accepted revised water-withdrawal language adding the word "onsite," replaced a fixed 75-foot vegetative buffer with flexible language allowing the board to require a buffer exceeding NFPA 855 minimums, and approved the full amended draft as its working version.

The board also interviewed associate-member applicant Kara Brostrom, a Shutesbury resident and Amherst College staffer, with a formal appointment vote expected at the March meeting in conjunction with the Select Board. Annual town meeting, where the bylaw amendment would face a public vote, is scheduled for May 9, 2026.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of February 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.