The Gorham Town Council will consider whether to impose a temporary moratorium on data center developments at its meeting next week.

Nearby towns Westbrook and Scarborough have taken similar measures after Gov. Janet Mills in April vetoed a bill to temporarily ban data center development statewide.

The 180-day moratorium would prevent any data center projects from taking shape as the town studies the potential effects of installing a center in Gorham and what regulations it wants to impose on such developments. No plans for a data center in Gorham have been proposed.

“The siting, installation, operation, and decommissioning of Data Centers within the town has the potential to overburden public facilities and poses a serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the town and its residents and visitors,” the proposed ordinance states. The ordinance lists potential impacts such as noise, heat emissions, overburdening of local water supplies, and damage to public infrastructure and natural resources.

The proposed moratorium comes as proposals for data centers — physical buildings that house infrastructure for storing applications and data, including for artificial intelligence — have seen an uptick in Maine and nationwide. At least eight data centers have been proposed in Maine, though some plans have been withdrawn.

The public hearing for the proposal will take place at the regular Gorham Town Council meeting on Tuesday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the Burleigh Loveitt Council Chambers at the Gorham Municipal Center.