My brother and I, with our family, have owned and operated this property in Joppa for years. We did not take a standard data center blueprint and try to force it onto our community. We engineered this AI Campus from the ground up because we live here, and we intend to stay here for generations.
Every major decision — power generation, cooling systems, setbacks, noise limits, watershed protection, and land preservation — was made with one question in mind: how do we build this in a way that protects our neighbors and strengthens our community?
It's not a typical data center. It's purpose-built infrastructure for the AI economy — engineered responsibly for residential proximity from day one.
Whether this AI Campus is built here or somewhere else, the AI economy is coming. The question is whether Harford County will help shape it on our terms.
The campus operates as an islanded microgrid. Fuel arrives via dedicated pipeline supply, electricity is generated on-site through silent electrochemical reaction, and the public grid connection exists only for export and limited regulated interaction.
Natural gas delivered via dedicated pipeline supply infrastructure — not through residential gas mains.
On-site fuel cells generate electricity through electrochemical reaction — not combustion. Silent. Zero NOx/SOx output compared to diesel.
Power consumed on-site by AI compute halls. Closed-loop cooling recirculates within the facility — no daily water draw.
BGE grid connection used per the utility interconnection agreement — designed to support export and limited regulated interaction, not as the routine operating power source.
Every major decision was made to protect Harford County residents and the land we love. Mountain Branch's standards meet or exceed every adopted Maryland data center framework.
Behind-the-meter fuel cell technology provides routine operating power on-site. The campus is designed to operate without drawing electricity from the BGE grid for normal operations.
Behind-the-MeterClosed-loop and air-cooled systems only. No public water drawn for routine cooling or processing. No cooling or process discharge to the public sewer system.
Closed-Loop45 dBA nighttime noise limit at the closest residence — the strictest in Maryland. 300 ft setback inside our property line. 500 ft additional setback for any power generation equipment.
Strictest Nighttime Limit in MDExplicit prohibition on PFAS-containing materials in cooling fluids, fire-suppression systems, or process equipment. No forever-chemical pathway to soil, groundwater, or local streams.
No MD Peer Has Codified ThisFor every acre developed, our Community Benefits Agreement commits to permanently preserving five acres of Harford County agricultural land — administered through the Harford Land Trust or Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation. At the scale of the Mountain Branch property, that commitment could preserve land approaching 1,400 acres — a net gain for farmland and open space, not a loss.
Mirrors Frederick's CDI StandardRecorded against the land. Runs with the land. Binds successors. Required as a condition of site plan approval. Categories include local hiring, workforce development, farmland preservation, first responder support, environmental monitoring, and community investment.
Required Before ApprovalThe Mountain Branch stream and its tributary wetlands flow into the Bush River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. They are too valuable to risk. Our environmental design treats full compliance with Maryland Department of the Environment and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers standards as the floor, not the goal — with stream-buffer setbacks, closed-loop cooling, an explicit prohibition on PFAS "forever chemicals" in cooling, fire-suppression, and process equipment, and independent water quality monitoring layered on top.
A nationally-recognized civil and environmental engineering firm with deep Maryland experience has laid out the campus to comply with Maryland Department of the Environment standards and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetlands and waterways requirements. Engineering plans, delineations, and permit-strategy memoranda will be made part of the public record before approval. Independent water quality monitoring will be performed before, during, and after construction — and the results will be made public.
At the scale of the Mountain Branch property, that commitment could permanently protect approaching 1,400 acres of farmland, woodland, and stream buffer through qualified entities like the Harford Land Trust. This is a net gain for Harford County's rural character — not a loss.
The 5:1 ratio is recorded in the Community Benefits Agreement and runs with the land — it binds future owners regardless of who controls the campus. This is how farmland and open space are actually protected: in writing, before any approval is granted.
We are not asking the County for a blank check. We are asking to be held to enforceable, recorded standards through a Special Development designation and a legally binding Community Benefits Agreement — both running with the land, both binding on every future owner.
A site-specific designation that ties every protection in this campus — power source, water use, noise limits, setbacks, screening, and monitoring — to the land itself. Violations are enforceable through the County's existing zoning and code-enforcement authority.
A Community Benefits Agreement recorded against the property and binding on every future owner. It is enforceable in court — not a goodwill statement, not a press release, not a marketing brochure.
Both instruments survive every sale, every refinancing, every change of operator. A future owner inherits every commitment — water, power, noise, farmland preservation, monitoring, and community funding.
A moratorium does not write any of this into the land. A binding CBA does. That is the difference between asking a County to wait, and asking a County to lead.
Frederick County and Calvert County are the two Maryland jurisdictions where data centers can currently be permitted under adopted, active ordinances. Mountain Branch's proposed framework matches the strongest adopted standards in every category and adds protections neither county has codified.
| Standard | Mountain Branch (Proposed) | Frederick County (Adopted) | Calvert County (Adopted) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nighttime noise limit | 45 dBA at nearest residence | No separate nighttime standard | 70 dBA in industrial zones |
| Behind-the-meter power | Required — primary power on-site | Not required | Not required |
| Generation setback | 500 ft to power equipment | None codified | None codified |
| Closed-loop cooling | Required | Site assessments only | Proposed Jan 2026 — not adopted |
| PFAS pathway prohibition | Explicit in standard | Not codified | Not codified |
| 5-to-1 farmland preservation | Required (CBA) | Required (CDI Overlay) | Not required |
| Binding CBA before approval | Required, recorded with land | Listening sessions only | Not required |
Mountain Branch's framework would be among the most comprehensive county data center standards in Maryland — uniquely strong on behind-the-meter power, a dedicated generation setback, a required Community Benefits Agreement, explicit PFAS protection, and the strictest nighttime noise limit in the state.
The County Council is considering Bill 26-005 — a 90-day moratorium on data center development. We are asking the Council to reject Bill 26-005 as introduced and adopt strict, enforceable standards instead.