The hearing was held at the request of the Markley Group , which is proposing to upgrade its “critical infrastructure” related to its data processing center located at 2 Prince Ave. and 1 Markley Way in the Sacred Heart neighborhood.
Chair Tom Linnehan expressed concerns with whether the company was complying with previous site plan approvals.
“Some things that we put a condition on to be completed, were not completed,” he said, noting that he had visited the site several times. “And some things were completed that they didn’t ask permission for — they just went ahead and did it. There’s no doubt about it.”
At stake is the company’s request to expand its operations to four additional generators, nine additional modular chiller plants and an additional water treatment plant.
The company bills itself as New England’s largest and longest-operating telecommunications and data center developer. In addition to its Lowell facility, Markley has a major fiber data hub center, also known as a connected carrier hotel, in Downtown Boston . Its systems power and provide routing to a wide variety of private companies, state and local governments, universities and internet companies.
Attorney William Martin said the data revolution is the 21st century version of Lowell’s Industrial Revolution.
“The work that Markley is doing is the infrastructure for much of the progress that’s going to fuel the growth in the economy,” he said. “Artificial intelligence, machine learning — all those things depend on servers like what Markley has put in … .”
That generating power is essential to the companies looking to invest in UMass Lowell’s Lowell Innovation Network Corridor. The $800 million project envisions companies involved in the fields of robotics, biotechnology and biomedical devices, space technology, sensors, climate tech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, electronics and human performance as part of its vibrant urban village/main street model and economic engine for the city.
According to Antonio Moura , project engineer with Stantec, which is consulting on the Markley expansion project, the current total footprint of the proposed site plan includes 25 generators, 11 chillers, two water treatment plants and two water towers.
“Modular chiller plants are essentially cooling towers that provide cooling for these data center server rooms that can get quite hot,” he said. “They need a substantial amount of cooling to support those critical infrastructure pieces.”
Executive Vice President Jeff Flanagan said Markley is committed to investing more than $350 million in the Lowell data center, of which more than $225 million has already been developed.
He called the company “proactive” in neighborhood concerns.
“What we started with was a hazardous waste dump,” he said. “It was a recycling plant for electronics. There was a great deal of cleanup when we bought the property. We’re very proud of what we’ve done at this site.”
Flanagan said the project has created 47 permanent jobs that will rise to 100 positions by 2035.
The 14-acre property is zoned light industrial and sits due north of the Prince Spaghettiville sign on the MBTA bridge over Gorham Street . The neighborhood features a mix of housing types along its perimeter.
Dozens of those residents turned up to speak in opposition to Markley’s site plan review, alleging excessive noise, diesel fumes and pollution, drainage issues and power fluctuations since the company site was established in 2015.
“They present themselves as neighborhood friendly when actually they’ve been a public nuisance to me and other residents since their arrival,” said Iowa Street resident Nancy Fortes .
She and several others asked the board to issue a site work stoppage.
Company representatives, including attorney Brian Martin , who said he grew up in the neighborhood, suggested a “reality check,” noting that construction is not regulated by Lowell’s noise ordinance,
“The generators meet customer demand,” he said “We meet existing state Department of Environmental Protection ] standards, and have committed to go above and beyond what is required per statute and regulations.”
Three of the appointed five board members were present constituting a quorum, but all were interested in a site visit and echoed Linnehan’s concerns about a lack of response from various city departments on Markley’s proposed infrastructure upgrades and additions.
“Why we have so many departments that didn’t reply is troubling to me,” Linnehan said “Nothing from the transportation engineer, superintendent of parks, nothing from Lowell Police or the Fire Department , Lowell Regional Wastewater or the water department or from [ Department of Public Works . Usually, we have the majority before us before any public meeting.”
Board member Dan Tenczar’s motion to continue the meeting until Oct. 21 was unanimously approved.
“We need to see what’s going on,” Tenczar said. “Experience what the neighbors hear or see.”
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