Data Center Moratorium Will Come Before Charlotte City Council

The Charlotte City Council is prepping to vote on hitting pause on new data center development. 

The council on Monday agreed to hold a public hearing on a data center moratorium on May 26, a prerequisite before it can vote on the moratorium on June 8, according to The Charlotte Observer. 

The debate will center on a possible 150-day moratorium to allow city officials to review the impacts and risks of data centers and to craft regulations around their development. 

At the meeting, some expressed concern that further data center development would drive up electricity costs. Others worried about how such development may be affecting the quality of life in the city because of noise and pollution. 

“This is about our children, this is about our health, and this is about whether families can peacefully live in their homes,” said Dimple Ajmera, an at-large council member, according to a Queen City Nerve report. 

North Carolina currently has more than 90 data centers, according to Data Center Map. The Charlotte metro area has over 30 data centers, with more proposed. 

AREP has plans for a 1.5M SF campus in University City, and Digital Realty is plotting a potentially 3M SF one on Moores Chapel Road. American Tower Corp. is proposing to build a 40K SF facility near Reedy Creek Nature Preserve.

Data centers are currently permitted by right in eight zoning districts in Charlotte without city approval. These districts include residential areas, the Observer reported. 

Any potential moratorium will not affect already permitted plans.

The council’s moves come as local backlash against data centers rises in communities across the Carolinas. Durham passed a 60-day moratorium last week, Apex passed a one-year moratorium last month, and Chatham County passed a one-year moratorium in February. The county was sued in April by a developer after the moratorium was imposed.