Planning Board Moves to Ban Data Centers for Now
Kingston Planning Board moves to prohibit data centers while carving out one industrial-park site for battery storage.
Planning Board · Meeting of September 14, 2026
Kingston Planning Board moves to prohibit data centers while carving out one industrial-park site for battery storage. Town Planner Valerie Massad told members Alexander Graham, Tom Bouchard and Bob Ketter that a Duxbury court ruling has extended legal protections to battery storage systems similar to solar arrays, pushing the town to adopt zoning before any application arrives. The board agreed to prohibit data centers outright rather than pursue a one-year moratorium, with Massad noting "time" as the deciding factor given Kingston lacks a working group to craft zoning that fast.
A mapped 1,000-foot residential buffer left only one viable battery-storage site, behind the former UPS building off Independence Way. The board also learned of a roughly $200,000 state grant for harbor master's office and wharf design work, and tabled approval of Aug. 10, 2026 minutes because a member present had been absent that night.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,088 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Members read the rest of this story and every Kingston meeting we cover, in full.
Become a memberAlready a member? Sign inA 30-day free trial needs a payment method. After it, your membership renews at the price shown at checkout until you cancel, which you can do anytime from your account. Subscription terms
Share this story
Know someone in Kingston who follows town government? Share Townbrief Kingston: they can sign up free.