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East Fishkill residents opposed a reported, roughly 1-gigawatt data-center concept associated with Treetop Companies, citing concerns about electricity demand and costs, water, noise, environmental effects, and the community’s character. The Town Board responded in June 2026 by unanimously adopting a three-year moratorium on data centers above 20 megawatts, through July 2029. The distinction matters: town officials said no formal data-center application had been filed, and the developer’s reported power request to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) was a separate grid process.
What was proposed in East Fishkill?
Treetop Companies explored a data-center concept after pursuing a warehouse development. The Guardian reported that the concept would cover more than 1 million square feet on about 143 acres and require roughly 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) of power. These were reported project figures, not the specifications of a formally filed local application. The Guardian’s October 9, 2026 report describes the project and the local dispute.
A request in NYISO’s interconnection queue concerns the proposed connection of a large power load to the grid; it is not a land-use application to the Town of East Fishkill. Town officials repeatedly said they had received no formal data-center application. WAMC reported on June 26, 2026 that Treetop’s request no longer appeared in NYISO’s queue at that time. That is a dated snapshot, not confirmation of the request’s status after that report. WAMC’s June 26 report covers the queue update and moratorium.
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Residents and advocacy groups organized, attended public meetings, and rallied against the proposal and data-center construction more broadly. Their concerns included the project’s scale, possible pressure on electricity supply and rates, water use, noise, environmental effects, and changes to the area’s character. These were concerns about a proposed, unbuilt project—not measured impacts established through an environmental review of a formal application. The cited reports do not provide a project-specific estimate of water demand, electricity-rate effects, noise, or permanent job creation.
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Power demand and electricity costs
Residents focused on whether a facility of the reported scale could add pressure to the grid and affect local electricity costs. Fran Caracappa, an East Fishkill resident, said, “People do not want to pay higher electricity rates because of a larger datacenter coming in and putting pressure on the grid.” That statement expresses a concern; it is not a finding that the proposal would have raised rates.
Water, noise, and environmental quality
Water use, noise, and environmental effects were also part of the opposition. At rallies, organizers chanted, “We can’t drink data! We can’t drink data,” a slogan that conveyed concern about water and resource use rather than a technical assessment of the proposal’s needs. Food & Water Watch’s May 22, 2026 account documents the advocacy group’s perspective and the rally.
Community character and technology
Some residents framed their opposition as a response to the scale and siting of this infrastructure, not to technology in general. East Fishkill has a history of technology development associated with IBM and iPark 84. Resident and professor Tanya Radford put it this way: “This is not an anti-tech town.” She also said, “I just think that we’re at this moment where things are happening very quickly, we need to get our ducks in a row and think about the various ways in which datacenters and new energy usage will affect our long-term community cohesiveness, environmental quality, and character,” as reported by The Guardian.
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East Fishkill resident Kerri Peterson described the siting question as whether data centers respect “the character, health and reasonable expectations” of the communities where they are placed. The Times Union reported her statement in its account of the moratorium. The Times Union report also quotes Town Supervisor Nicholas D’Alessandro saying, “A moratorium gives us time. It gives us a time out for us to say, ‘let’s review everything,’”
What did the town decide?
In June 2026, the Town Board unanimously adopted a three-year moratorium barring consideration or permission of data centers above 20 megawatts until July 2029. The threshold is far below the roughly 1-gigawatt scale reported for Treetop’s concept. The measure is a temporary pause, not evidence that the town completed a project-specific environmental review or that the concept had received local approval. WAMC and the Times Union reported the moratorium’s terms.
As of The Guardian’s October 9, 2026 report, Treetop had appealed the moratorium. The sources cited here do not establish the appeal’s later procedural status.
How does this relate to East Fishkill’s comprehensive plan?
The town adopted its comprehensive plan on September 25, 2025, following a public hearing on the final draft. The Town of East Fishkill says its community survey received more than 2,200 responses; the town page does not date that figure. The available account establishes public input and the plan’s adoption, but not that the plan itself specifically prohibited the Treetop concept. The town’s comprehensive-plan page provides its account of the plan.
What was the project’s zoning status?
Reporting described standalone data centers as an emerging use not clearly listed among permitted uses under the town’s existing zoning. The Guardian reported that standalone data centers were not listed as a permitted use, while the Times Union described the code as not permitting them in industrial zones and said officials viewed the omission as reflecting how new the use was. Those descriptions do not substitute for a formal town determination about a particular application, and no formal data-center application was before the town according to officials. They should not be treated as legal advice or a definitive zoning interpretation.
Quick Recap
What is known—and not known—about the proposal’s status?
- Local filing: Town officials said there was no formal data-center application before the town.
- Grid process: The reported NYISO interconnection request was distinct from a local land-use application. WAMC said on June 26, 2026 that the request no longer appeared in the queue at that time.
- Local rule: The Town Board adopted a moratorium in June 2026 on data centers above 20 megawatts, running through July 2029.
- Appeal: The Guardian reported on October 9, 2026 that Treetop had appealed the moratorium; the sources cited here do not establish what happened afterward.
- Potential impacts: Residents’ concerns are documented, but the cited sources do not establish project-specific outcomes for water, power rates, noise, environmental effects, or permanent jobs.
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