Woodlawn Data Center, Baltimore, MD: Maryland Data Center Series Pt. 2

Woodlawn is a small community in Baltimore County, Maryland. As the previous hosts of the Social Security Administration Headquarters and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the people of Woodlawn are used to seeing office buildings along Route 122, but that familiar facade could be transformed into a hyperscale data center spanning 42 acres as the county looks for new opportunities for job growth and economic stimulus.

Woodlawn is an overburdened and underserved community as it stands, and a new data center development would only exacerbate the negative impacts they already face. 

Underserved communities are those within a census tract where at least 25% of residents are low income, 50% of residents are non-white, and/or 15% of the residents have limited English proficiency. The community of Woodlawn Maryland has a little over 40,000 residents over 9.6 square miles and a median household income of $82,466 compared to $91,768 in Baltimore County. While only about 5% of the community lives in poverty, 77-79% of the community is non-white, and almost 20% of the population has limited English proficiency.

Maryland defines “overburdened communities” as those which are above the 75th percentile for the listed pollutants or proximity to hazards. Particularly, the community reports concerning levels of exposure to particulate matter 2.5, ozone, and road traffic. Furthermore, the community is within proximity to a brownfield site and 97.2% of the population lacks access to broadband connectivity, 78.7% have asthma, and 94% have low birth rates, according to the MDEnviroScreen EJ data for census tract 24005401102.

The census tract near the proposed site has an Environmental Justice score of 68.1% according to the MDEnviroScreen [search for Census Tract: 24005401102] and has been identified as both an underserved and overburdened community by the state definition. Based on this score, a hyperscale data center project could exacerbate the pollutants and health risks already present.

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Background and Site Overview

Part of the Social Security headquarters Campus in Woodlawn served as the Administration’s dedicated data center from 1980 until around 2010, when it was renovated into office space. In 2010, the SSA wrote a new plan for the National Support Center stating that while the computer operations were essential for prompt and accurate payments to Americans, “it is over 30 years old and the facility infrastructures have exceeded their useful life… In short, the current facility will not be able to meet the industry standards for data centers in the future.” According to their 2010 Strategic Plan, the SSA Enterprise Data Center used 5 MW of electricity with 1.2 MW coming from solar panels. Those floors were then converted into office space for SSA employees.

Once renovated, 1500 Woodlawn Drive served as the Social Security office headquarters and housed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services until 2023. The property used to be teeming with professionals, but following the Covid-19 pandemic, many offices switched to virtual work and stayed that way – leaving the large offices largely unoccupied. In order to use resources more efficiently, offices were consolidated and their lease ended.

The building that used to bring over 10,000 employees to Woodlawn each workday could soon be transformed into a hyperscale data center development that could bring an estimated 1,000 jobs during construction, according to the Business Manager of IBEW Local 24 electrician’s union. Furthermore, it can be estimated that the data center would employ less than 100 full time employees when fully constructed since operations will be partially automated. 

As it stands, the development is being led by the property’s long-time owners, a company called Security Land and Development Co. The community was first alerted about the project through Maryland Senator Charles Sydnor III and Delegates Sheila Ruth and Alethis McCaskill, who hosted an informational meeting to give residents a chance to learn more, ask questions, and provide perspectives on how data center development may affect the community’s economy, health, environment, infrastructure, and quality of life. This meeting occurred in December of 2025 and clear development plans have still not been shared with the public.

The completed 150 MW development would span across the 42 acres of the old Social Security complex and the local roadway inn. The development would also include a five-acre donation to BGE for a new electrical substation, but the type of energy to be used has not been made public, infrastructure will need to be built to connect it to the grid. Construction was planned to begin in June or July 2026, until the Baltimore County Council passed a yearlong data center permit moratorium set to end in January of 2027. 

About the Developers

Security Land and Development is a limited partnership registered in Baltimore, Maryland as a for-profit organization. However, the limited partnership registration expired in 2023 and it is unclear what the company’s status is now. Although the partnership is listed as the owner and they requested over a dozen permits, information about the company online is extremely limited, making it hard to understand what the plan might be moving forward.

According to the 2003 deed for 1500 Woodlawn Drive, Security and Land Development Company Limited Partnership comprises the 1500 Woodlawn Limited Partnership, Harry W. Rogers, III, William A. Rodgers, W. Dale Hess, and Regency Affiliates Inc. Within the 1500 Woodlawn Limited Partnership, the members are the Woodlawn Investment Group, Inc.; Conrad Cafritz Family trust #2; MFA Woodlawn, Inc., Regency Affiliates (again); Marvin H. Green III Trust; Steven M. Peer Trust; Marvin Price; and Firefly Circle Investment Limited Partnership.

These companies do not have a history of data center development, however, it is a common practice for one company to apply for permits then sell the land with all of the accepted permits to a real developer, in a process known as land entitlement. Real estate companies make money from flipping properties and selling them as ready-to-build. Lerner Enterprises, the owners of the Landover data center site, did this for a site in Gainesville, Virginia. After applying for the permits, it sold the land to NTT enterprises ready-to-build and at a significant price increase. This could be what is happening at the Woodlawn site. The Security and Land Development Company has applied for over a dozen permits, but the work is yet to begin. 

Community Opposition

The community has expressed opposition to new developments, with news outlets calling the proposed data center “controversial.” At a December neighborhood meeting in Woodlawn, panelists included Nature Forward, IBEW Local 24, Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Climate Justice Wing of the Maryland Legislative Coalition, and Maryland Office of the People’s Council. The details of the progress of the Woodlawn development are unclear, but there are currently 16 permits for plumbing and city works for the site, which can be viewed here if you type in the address 1500 Woodlawn Dr. 

Residents expressed concern about data center water usage, home values, and utility bill prices, concerns to which their representatives did not have clear answers. Another concern from residents is the empty promise of economic growth. While construction of the facility could employ up to 1,000 workers, the data center might only need 30-50 people on permanent staff. Furthermore, they want to know where data center tax revenue will be funneled and what it will be spent on. The answers to these questions could make a difference on the community’s opinion of the development. 

Local legislators have taken notes from other states and localities by enacting a data center study and moratorium, Bill 3-26. The bill says that the Baltimore County Planning Board would make recommendations for provisions on mandatory public hearings, description of cooling technology, and creating an appropriate definition and zoning classification for data centers.

Woodlawn’s History

• 10/2018 – SSA HQ lease is close to expiration. The General Services Administration began looking at partial termination. 
• 2020-2022- COVID causes a transition to remote work, Security complex unoccupied. 
• 11/2023 – SSA ended its lease and Security Land and Development Limited partnership expired. Ownership unclear
• 12/2023 – Security Land and Development LP applies for a demolition permit.
• 03/2024 – Demolition permit granted.
• 12/2/2025- Public community neighborhood meeting held by State Senator Sydnor. 
• 01/2026 – Bill 3-26 passed for data center study and 1 year moratorium
• 5/6/2026 – Public Hearing for Data Center Community Impacts and Use Standards Study 26-0050R 
• 5/7/2026 – Public Hearing on Baltimore City Data Center Moratorium 26-0158  
• 5/21/2026: Planning Board hearing 

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