Developer withdraws Nottingham data center plan before meeting

Nottingham data – Hours before a planned meeting on a proposed data center in Nottingham, New Hampshire, backed by Nottingham Business Park LLC, the developer withdrew its plans, citing misinformation and saying it would take time for additional research. The move followed a gr

Hours before a scheduled public meeting on a proposed data center in Nottingham, New Hampshire, the developer withdrew the plans.

The proposal had already been forced to move to a larger venue because of growing backlash from residents. Nottingham’s Planning Department coordinator Tracey Stickney said the opposition had been intense enough that she wasn’t surprised by the sudden retreat.

“There was a lot of opposition, so I’m not surprised,” Stickney told Business Insider on Tuesday, adding that it was “nice” to see people come together and care about their local community. She said she still expected residents—about 5,300 people—to show up to voice their concerns.

The data-center effort was backed by local developer Thomas Moulton through Nottingham Business Park LLC. Before the withdrawal. the project had drawn mounting pushback from residents who worried about environmental impacts. noise. and what they saw as the risk that a rural town could be fundamentally transformed.

A Change.org petition opposing the project drew more than 25,000 signatures. The petition’s supporters said the development would alter Nottingham’s character, turning a community known for forests and lakes into something closer to an industrial corridor.

The fight in Nottingham fits into a broader wave of resistance to data center growth across the United States. Communities from Virginia to Georgia to Texas have pushed back on projects they say strain water supplies. consume enormous amounts of electricity. generate constant noise. and reshape rural landscapes. As Big Tech companies race to build the infrastructure needed for AI and cloud computing. residents and local officials have demanded tighter regulations and more environmental scrutiny—especially in smaller towns that have not dealt with projects of this scale.

Nottingham-area resident Ben Weit, who started the petition, said locals felt blindsided by the proposal and alarmed by the prospect of building large-scale industrial infrastructure in a community known more for hunting, fishing, and outdoor life than server farms.

“I grew up hunting and fishing in these woods. I grew up on the lakes and the rivers. I value the beauty of New Hampshire, and I would like to keep it, especially in a small town like Nottingham, where it’s not very industrial at all,” Weit told Business Insider.

Weit said the uproar reflected a bigger anxiety: rapid data center expansion reaching small towns that may not have the resources—or in some cases, the water supply—to absorb projects of this size. He pointed to what residents describe as prolonged drought conditions in the region.

“New Hampshire, and specifically this region near the seacoast, has already been in a severe drought for years,” Weit said. “It completely baffled me that of all places I’ve been reading about these, seeing them pop up, that Nottingham was the next one.”

In a statement, Moulton said the company was withdrawing its conceptual consultation request “without prejudice” to allow time for “additional research” and to determine “whether this is an appropriate use for the site.”

In an interview, Moulton said the project became consumed by what he called “misconception and misinformation,” including online claims that the company planned to build a “40-acre building.” He said the proposed building would have been about 4 acres.

“I think the biggest thing is the environmental concerns. ” Moulton said. adding that residents raised fears about noise and water pollution. “If we assemble truthful and accurate information. and present it fairly and transparently. then let everybody make their mind up — if they don’t want it. they don’t want it.”.

Moulton also argued the proposal could bring a major tax windfall to Nottingham, which has a limited commercial tax base.

“It’s kind of like hitting a lottery ticket when it comes to tax revenue,” he said.

By Tuesday afternoon, Moulton said he decided it was better to temporarily retreat than fight the backlash. He said the resistance included threats against his life, and he emphasized that he lives in the community and would personally have to answer to neighbors affected by the project.

“I’m not some guy from New York trying to do a housing development and do it irresponsibly,” he said. “I live in the community, I want to do the right thing.”

For residents like Weit, Moulton’s assurances still weren’t enough. Weit said locals worried that once a project of that scale entered Nottingham, the town could lose control over future development.

Moulton said his goal was to think proactively about Nottingham’s future while balancing residents’ concerns.

“Someone’s going to do this regardless,” Moulton said of the growing demand for data infrastructure. “I’m just trying to plan and look at maybe this might be something for the future for the state and the community.”

The withdrawal leaves Nottingham at the center of a dispute that’s growing across the country: whether data centers can be developed in smaller communities without changing their environment, character, and control over what comes next.

Nottingham New Hampshire data center planning meeting Nottingham Business Park LLC Thomas Moulton Tracey Stickney Ben Weit Change.org petition environmental concerns noise water pollution drought tax revenue AI infrastructure