Finance Panel Reviews Eight Zoning Warrant Articles

Finance Committee · Meeting of September 24, 2026

CHELMSFORD — The Chelmsford Finance Committee reviewed eight zoning warrant articles ahead of fall Town Meeting without voting on any of them. Planning Board Chair Christopher Lavallee and Vice Chair Joel Luna walked members through changes covering child care use definitions, contractor yard tiers, affordable-housing payment-in-lieu rules, and Chelmsford's first proposed data center zoning, which would cap new facilities at one megawatt and require a 500-foot residential setback. Lavallee cited Lowell's 40-megawatt Markley data center, with 27 diesel generators and 352,000 square feet, as a scale reference.

One member warned that a data center's round-the-clock hum would be disruptive regardless of decibel level: "Because it's not that loud, but it's annoying." The committee also approved its September 17 minutes, 6-0 with one member absent, and will vote on all 26 warrant articles October 1 at the School Administration Building.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,700 words

Source: the Finance Committee meeting of September 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.