State and Town Moratoriums Halt Proposed Yaphank Data Center

A proposed $1 billion data center in Yaphank finds itself ensnared by two simultaneous moratoriums — one enacted by Gov. Kathy Hochul and another working its way through the Brookhaven Town Board — leaving the project's developer without a clear road ahead.

WF Industrial, also known as Wildflower, wants to build a 549,000-square-foot facility on 71 acres near the Long Island Expressway's north service road, about 1,000 feet from a residential neighborhood. The company has touted the development as a source of 1,000 construction jobs and full-time positions within the center, along with millions of dollars flowing to the local school district.

Hochul signed an executive order July 14 freezing permits for large-scale data centers — defined as those pulling 50 megawatts or more from the electrical grid — for up to one year while the state crafts what she called a nation-leading regulatory framework to safeguard ratepayers, the power grid and nearby communities. She described it as the first statewide data center moratorium in the nation.

Brookhaven Town is pursuing the same goal on its own track. A town spokesman said the board is set to approve an 18-month moratorium on data center permits, with a unanimous vote expected.

Michael Bowden, Wildflower's director of development, said in a statement that the company was reviewing the governor's announcement and its potential implications. In a separate interview, he contended that the proposed center would consume no more water than the trucking warehouses previously approved for the site, and that rooftop rainwater harvesting equipment would offset municipal water use.

The Long Island Progressive Coalition has opposed the project. A Siena Institute Research poll found that half of Long Islanders surveyed backed slowing data center development.

President Trump took to social media Wednesday to condemn the moratorium as a "terrible decision" that would push data center investment to other states. New York City Council Minority Leader David Carr voiced similar objections, arguing the policy was "not a sound energy or economic policy for New York State."

State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, who chairs the Senate Internet and Technology Committee, stood alongside Hochul at the signing and praised the move as a necessary check on facilities that strain the power grid. A companion bill passed by the state Legislature in June is awaiting Hochul's signature.

Three vacant warehouses currently sit on the Wildflower site. The development could require up to 176.6 megawatts from the Long Island Power Authority grid — a level of demand that LIPA has characterized as manageable.