PRINCE FREDERICK — Amazon Web Services has filed a concept site plan application for the Calvert Technology Center, a proposed data center development on two parcels owned by Constellation Energy Group near the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.
The initial application was submitted May 4, with application fees paid May 18 and Environmental Health fees paid May 26. The next step is review of the Concept Site Plan by Calvert County departments and other agencies.
The project, at 1650 Calvert Cliffs Parkway in Lusby, calls for eight data center buildings ranging from 266,000 to 332,000 gross square feet each, plus supporting office, auxiliary utility and security buildings. Total data center space is approximately 2.464 million square feet across three independently operated campuses.
Campus 1, south of Calvert Cliffs Parkway, includes two data centers, an office building, utility building and security structures. Campus 2, about a half-mile south, includes two data centers. Campus 3, south of Johns Creek near the southern property boundary, includes four data centers. A 30-foot-wide private access drive with an 8-foot shared-use path connects the campuses. Three buried structural steel plate bridge arches and one additional bridge are planned to cross wetland and stream valleys.
The northern parcel is 965 acres and the southern is 1,085 acres, both zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial under the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance. Each campus would occupy dedicated lease areas within the larger site.
A concept stormwater management report prepared April 29 by Langan Engineering details existing conditions: largely forested, undulating terrain with Johns Creek flowing east to west, extensive nontidal wetlands and smaller streams. The site is in the St. Leonard Creek watershed, with a portion in FEMA Zone A floodplain. Soils are predominantly Hydrologic Soil Group A.
The stormwater design proposes six wet extended detention ponds and five bioretention facilities to meet water quality, channel protection and 2- and 10-year peak flow requirements under Calvert County and Maryland Department of the Environment standards. Micro-scale Environmental Site Design practices were evaluated but deemed infeasible due to steep slopes, wetlands, forest constraints and soil conditions.
The Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning notified the public of the filing for transparency. “This notification is being provided for transparency purposes only and is not part of the formal development review process,” the email states. The intent is to keep residents informed as information becomes available.
The application was discussed at prior Board of County Commissioners and Planning Commission meetings. Planning and Zoning Director Jason Brinkley noted April 15 that AWS had submitted documents to the Maryland Department of the Environment.
The filing occurs amid ongoing local debate over data centers in Calvert County. Residents have raised concerns about environmental and infrastructure impacts. Two attempts by Commissioners Mike Hart and Catherine Grasso to enact a temporary moratorium on data center development failed. On May 5, the board voted to require data centers to comply with updated text amendments through construction start to prevent grandfathering under prior rules.
The county maintains a dedicated data centers webpage with project updates and documents. Residents can learn more about the commercial zoning and site plan review process on the county website.
No construction permits have been issued. The concept review does not constitute approval.
