Islip moves toward 18-month ban on AI data centers

The Islip Town Board voted July 14 to move an 18-month moratorium on data centers that power artificial intelligence to a public hearing on Aug. 11, putting a fast-growing land-use fight directly in front of Suffolk residents. The board authorized the Town Clerk to advertise a hearing on a proposed local law titled Data Centers Moratorium, a step that keeps the town from acting immediately but opens the door to formal public comment.

The hearing is set for 2 p.m. Aug. 11 at Town Hall, 655 Main St. in Islip, and it will be streamed live over the internet. Homeowners, civic groups and business owners will be able to weigh in before any final vote on whether Islip should pause new data-center applications for 18 months.

Towns across New York are examining how much space and infrastructure AI-era facilities can consume. On the same day as the Islip board action, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered a one-year statewide pause on permitting new large data centers in New York. The state pause applies to hyperscale facilities that use 50 megawatts or more of power and is intended to give New York time to develop rules and an environmental impact assessment for data centers.

For Islip, the debate is about what could land on local parcels, how much electricity future projects would demand, and whether the town wants to slow development long enough to study the effect on zoning, traffic, and the community’s physical footprint. An 18-month pause would give town officials more time to review the pressure such projects could place on the grid, on nearby neighborhoods and on the tax base that supports local services.

In Brookhaven, Town Supervisor Dan Panico previously proposed an 18-month moratorium on data centers, and residents there raised concerns about electric bills, water consumption and environmental impacts.