PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Amazon Web Services (AWS) has officially filed a site plan for a data center in Calvert County called the Calvert Technology Center.

The Calvert County government confirmed in an email to The BayNet that the county government received a site plan application and paid the associated fees. AWS submitted the initial application on May 4, application fees were paid May 18, and Environmental Health fees were paid May 26.

The next step is the review of the Concept Site Plan, which will be conducted by county government departments and other reviewing agencies. Residents can learn more about the commercial zoning process here.

According to the email from Planning & Zoning, the notification “is being provided for transparency purposes only and is not part of the formal development review process. The intent is to keep the public informed as information becomes available.”

The AWS application was brought up at previous Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meetings and Planning Commission meetings. Director of Planning and Zoning Jason Brinkley confirmed as early as April 15 that AWS had submitted documents to the Maryland Department of the Environment, but didn’t have access to the documents or know the level of environmental review that had been triggered at that point.

The site plan application comes as Calvert County residents continue their pushback against data centers in Calvert County and controversy surrounding the agreements with data center companies. There were also two failed attempts by County Commissioners Mike Hart and Catherine Grasso to place a temporary moratorium on all data center development, and a May 5 vote to force data centers to adhere to updated text amendments until the point construction starts to avoid them being “grandfathered in” on old regulations.

Residents should follow Planning & Zoning and the Data Center FAQ for updated information about the process.