HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Protesters have found another topic in Hagerstown and Washington County — this one plans for a major data center on acreage being annexed into the city of Hagerstown.
Protestors from Hagerstown Rapid Response and Washington County Indivisible gathered outside the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 15. This time the primary focus of the demonstration was to push back on potential data center plans by the county.
This comes after research and reporting from Hagerstown Rapid Response suggest Washington County Commissioners could be silently working on a deal to bring a data center to the area. Protests are pushing for transparency between elected officials and local residents and questioning the intentions behind government decision-making.
In Maryland, initial secret discussions with developers are not considered illegal, although these must be disclosed if an open records request is filed.
In the data center case, after uncovering information about a non-disclosure agreement signed by county commissioners in December 2025 regarding a land deal, more information about this closed meeting has come to light.
Hagerstown Rapid Response identified several individuals in the room during this meeting, including Moshe Rubin, chief operating officer of Diversified Capital, and Zack Fritz, chief operating officer of the Sage Policy Group, a legal firm that has several studies in support of data centers.
According to Hagerstown Rapid Response’s research, Diversified Capital is identified in records as the developer of Martin Farm, or 12440 Burkholder Lane. Planning records show Martin Farm first described as a warehouse project, but the property can also be found in 2024 commercial real estate listings advertised as “ideal for a data center,” emphasizing electrical power and city water.
The investigation also uncovered recently posted job listings for data center security guards in Hagerstown.
Further, on June 30, 2026, the Board of County Commissioners agreed to a 12-month moratorium on data center applications. That same day, Diversified Capital moved to have Martin Farm annexed to Hagerstown, which could potentially land a data center outside of the county’s control.
For her part, Washington County Administrator Michelle Gordon noted on Tuesday, that the county has begun working on best practices, potential zoning and policy changes in connection with the county’s planning for any future data facilities. Staff members also have been attending seminars and conferences on this issue.
“I want to correct some false information that is being spread online,” she noted. “The Board of County Commissioners have not approved a data center or data center construction in Washington County. Washington County currently has a moratorium on data centers in the unincorporated areas of Washington County.”
However, she noted that if an area is annexed into a municipality that has planning and zoning authority at the time of annexation, the municipality will have exclusive jurisdiction over planning, subdivision control and zoning in the annexed area.
Hagerstown, then, could be facing a decision on approval of a data center.
Many citizens worry that data centers’ extreme use of water to cool computers and their use of electricity will lead to shortages or higher rates for homeowners.
Hagerstown Rapid Response’s full investigation can be found at blog.hagerstownrapidresponse.com/p/washington-county-maryland-commissioners-signed-ndas-to-keep-a-development-project-secret-the-trail-leads-to-a-data-center-at-martin-farm.
