The owner of Massachusetts data center firm Markley Group may be planning to expand the company’s footprint, having recently bought a retired power plant and several other industrial properties.

As reported by the Boston Herald, two companies owned by the CEO of Markley Group have filed subdivision requests with the officials in Lowell relating to two industrial properties in the Massachusetts city.

At a recent City of Lowell planning board meeting, Tanner Street Investco, LLC was seeking a preliminary subdivision approval to split the lot at 2 Tanner Street, while Meadowbolt LLC had applied to split the lot at 90 Bolt Street. Both LLCs are owned by Jeffrey D. Markley, CEO of Markley Group.

Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, some 25 miles northwest of Boston. Markley reportedly acquired the two sites for around $5.6 million.

The Tanner Street site currently houses the 85MW Tanner Street Generating Station. The natural gas peaker plant was originally launched in 2002 and closed in 2024.

Located in the city’s General Industrial (GI) zoning district, 2 Tanner Street currently totals 112,385 sq ft (10,440 sqm). The proposed subdivision splits the lot into two lots, one spanning 48,677 sq ft (4,522 sqm) and another spanning 48,113 sq ft (4,469 sqm). The existing industrial building on the site is set to be demolished, which would require separate permits.

Located in the city’s Light Industrial (LI) zoning district, the 90 Bolt Street site currently totals 139,583 sq ft (12,967 sqm). The proposed subdivision splits the lot into two lots, one spanning 69,922 sq ft (6,495 sqm) and another spanning 40,449 sq ft (3,757 sqm). The existing industrial building on the site is set to be demolished, which would require separate permits.

It is unclear what the current plans are for the sites. Antonio Moura, a senior associate at engineering consulting firm Stantec, presented the two applications to the city board, but said he was “not privy” to any further plans for the sites beyond the subdivisions. He noted, however, that they would likely be industrial uses.

If Markley is planning new data center developments, the plans will likely face resistance. In March, Lowell’s city council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on the expansion of existing data centers and the construction of new ones.

However, the board unanimously voted to approve the preliminary subdivision application.

DCD has reached out to Markley Group for comment.

Founded in 1991, Markley Group opened the One Summer Street carrier hotel in Boston in 1998. The 30MW facility totals 920,000 sq ft (85,470 sqm) and hosts some 100 network providers.

Markley purchased Lowell’s long-vacant former Prince Macaroni pasta plant for $4 million in 2015, converting it into a data center. The three-story facility, located in what was once the "Spaghettiville" area of the city, totals some 352,000 sq ft (32,700 sqm).

Markley is also looking to subdivide 48 Newhall Street and 56 Newhall Street, two properties just north of the firm’s existing Lowell data center at 1 Markley Way/2 Prince Avenue. The application seeks to reconfigure and subdivide the existing properties. The two Newhall properties are currently owned by The Dude's Place LLC.

Meadowbolt is also seeking to subdivide 45 Bolt Street, a 170,589 sq ft (15,848 sqm) lot which currently hosts an industrial building close to the 90 Bolt Street site. The proposed subdivision splits the lot into two lots, one spanning 96,364 sq ft (8,952 sqm) and another spanning 60,134 sq ft (5,586 sqm). The existing industrial building on the site is set to be demolished, but would require separate permits.