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Data Center Watch Report · ZIP 21202

Baltimore

Baltimore city

None found / resident-reportedZIP 51.7% Blackpop 21,506

None found (no specific new hyperscale project sited in ZIP 21202) — citywide one-year moratorium in effect

Researched: 2026-08-02 · Lead source: Brockovich AI Data Center community map (1 resident report, 2026-05-26) · ZIP demographics: 51.7% Black, pop 21,506 (Census ACS 2023) · County: Baltimore city (downtown / east) Status: None found (no specific new hyperscale project sited in ZIP 21202) — citywide one-year moratorium in effect

This report is research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice.

0. Snapshot

No specific proposed or approved new hyperscale/AI data center was found sited inside ZIP 21202 (downtown / east Baltimore) as of 2026-08-02. What is real and load-bearing here is citywide policy: on June 16, 2026, Baltimore enacted a one-year moratorium on new data centers drawing 10 MW or more, introduced by City Council President Zeke Cohen and signed by Mayor Brandon Scott, pending a nine-month study of grid, ratepayer, economic, and public-health impacts. Downtown Baltimore (21202) already hosts existing commercial colocation facilities (e.g., 111 Market St.), and City Hall itself sits at 100 N. Holliday St., 21202. The nearest active new-build fights are elsewhere in the region (Baltimore County/Woodlawn; Baltimore Peninsula). For a majority-Black downtown ZIP, the thin project-specific record is itself the finding — and the moratorium is the thing residents can act on.

1. The Facility & Where It Sits

  • New hyperscale project in ZIP 21202: None found as of 2026-08-02.
  • Existing colocation in 21202: Downtown Baltimore has multiple established data centers/colocation facilities (e.g., a facility at 111 Market St., 21202). These are legacy commercial telecom/colo sites, not the new AI-scale campuses driving current controversy.
  • Nearby regional activity (for context, NOT in 21202):
    • Baltimore County (Woodlawn): a ~150 MW data center proposed by Security Land and Development LP on ~42 acres, including a 5-acre donation to BGE for a substation; construction targeted mid-2026.
    • Baltimore Peninsula / Port Covington: an Exelon/BGE-linked proposal that the Maryland legislature debated potentially banning.
    • Johns Hopkins (Bayview, East Baltimore ~21224): a $9M state-funded expansion of the Maryland Advanced Research Computing Center — an academic computing center explicitly exempted from the city moratorium (not in 21202).

2. Public Hearings & Notices

  • March 2026: Council President Zeke Cohen introduced the moratorium bill defining data centers as facilities with ≥10 MW electrical demand.
  • May 2026: City Council committee advanced, then full Council passed, the one-year moratorium.
  • June 16, 2026: Mayor Brandon Scott signed it into law; a nine-month study was mandated.
  • Any 21202-specific zoning case: None found as of 2026-08-02. Watch the City Council legislation portal and Planning Commission agendas for new filings.

3. Power

  • Serving utility: BGE (Baltimore Gas and Electric, an Exelon company), in the PJM Interconnection region.
  • State oversight: Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC); a statewide study of data-center economic/environmental impacts is underway and is the basis for Baltimore's pause. The legislature has weighed restrictions (e.g., on the Baltimore Peninsula). https://www.psc.state.md.us
  • No 21202-specific large-load agreement found. Not found as of 2026-08-02.

4. Water & Drought

5. Population & Who Lives Here

  • ZIP 21202: 51.7% Black, population 21,506 (Census ACS 2023) — downtown/east Baltimore, a mix of the central business district and historically Black east-side neighborhoods.
  • The moratorium's stated concerns — energy costs to ratepayers, environmental and public-health impacts — are the levers most relevant to residents here.

6. Money — Abatements, Incentives, Jobs

  • No 21202-specific incentive or abatement deal found (no project). None found as of 2026-08-02.
  • Regionally, the Maryland Tech Council and developers argue data centers bring tax revenue and economic activity; the city's moratorium exists to test those claims against grid and ratepayer costs before approving new large loads.

7. Community Reaction & News Coverage

  • The Baltimore Banner — extensive coverage of the moratorium, BGE, the Baltimore Peninsula question, and Johns Hopkins.
  • Baltimore Fishbowl, CBS Baltimore (WJZ), Fox Baltimore (WBFF), WMAR, Technical.ly, Baltimore Sun — moratorium coverage.
  • Food & Water Watch — advocacy supporting the moratorium.
  • No organized opposition to a specific 21202 project found, because none was identified. Resident-reported pin with no specific public project found as of 2026-08-02 for 21202 itself — a legitimate "watch, no project yet" status under a citywide pause.

8. Find Out For Yourself

Baltimore City Council

  • Council President Zeke Cohen (moratorium sponsor): City Hall, Room 400, 100 N. Holliday St., Baltimore, MD 21202 · (410) 396-4804 · zeke.cohen@baltimorecity.gov
  • City Council main: https://www.baltimorecity.gov/city-council — find your district council member for 21202 and ask about the moratorium and any new filings.
  • City Hall / City Council clerk: 100 N. Holliday St., 21202 (Baltimore City legislative reference).

City & state agencies

  • Baltimore City Dept. of Planning / Planning Commission (zoning cases).
  • BGE public affairs (power).
  • Baltimore City Dept. of Public Works (water/wastewater).
  • Maryland PSC: https://www.psc.state.md.us — statewide data-center study and dockets.

Questions to ask:

  1. Are there any data-center applications pending in or near ZIP 21202, and where are they posted?
  2. What will the nine-month city study cover, when does it report, and can residents submit comments?
  3. If the moratorium expires (one year), what zoning rules would govern a new data center downtown?
  4. How would a large downtown load affect BGE rates for existing Baltimore customers under PJM?
  5. What noise, air-emission (backup diesel), and heat-rejection rules would apply in a dense downtown ZIP?
  6. Which council member represents 21202, and what is their position?

9. If You're Thinking About Moving Here

Right now there is no specific new data center proposed for ZIP 21202, and the city has paused new large data centers citywide for a year while it studies grid and ratepayer impacts — so the immediate data-center risk here is low relative to the active-build ZIPs elsewhere in this project. The realistic watch items are: whether new applications appear when the moratorium lapses, and how regional projects (Baltimore County, the Peninsula) and BGE's PJM costs flow through to city electric bills. Existing downtown colocation facilities are long-standing and not part of the current controversy. Verify current status with your district council member and the city Planning Department before deciding.

10. Sources

Lead source: resident reports on the Brockovich AI Data Center community map, then independently verified against public records. Research, not legal, financial, real-estate, or investment advice. Some resident-reported pins remain uncorroborated and are labeled as such above.