Legislators in the the city of Charlotte are at an impasse on data center development halfway through a 150-day moratorium on building the property type.
:quality(75))
The moratorium began in June and followed months of local pushback.
On Aug. 20, 75 days into the moratorium, Council Member At-Large Dimple Ajmera hosted a town hall during which she moderated panels between city staff members, data center opponents and environmental advocates, and industry representatives, WFAE reported.
Participants touched on both sides of the data center debate. Protesters cited potential community displacement and environmental impacts as key reasons to oppose development of the facilities in Charlotte, while industry developers argued that the centers support critical digital infrastructure, according to WFAE.
Kevin McNulty represented data center developer Digital Realty, which is building out a 12-megawatt, four-story data center at 725 E. Trade St. The project was not affected by the moratorium because it was under construction before it went into effect, as with PowerHouse’s 122-acre campus off University City Boulevard.
McNulty was asked during the event if he would live near a data center, WFAE reported.
“My answer is yes with a caveat,” McNulty said, according to the radio station. “I would live next to a data center if it was appropriately sited and there were mitigations in place for the lights that are on the building.”
Charlotte has approximately 40 operating data centers, according to Data Center Map, with North Carolina home to 95. The city is one of more than 200 local governments across the country that have imposed moratoriums on data center development this year, largely due to significant local backlash, as the facilities proliferate across the U.S. amid the artificial intelligence boom.
Protesters spanning the country have pointed to intensive water and power usage, noise and light pollution, and forced displacement as negative impacts wrought by data centers.
The water usage component is especially concerning to North Carolina residents, as the state has been coping with drought conditions. In Charlotte, the PowerHouse site plans on using 1.2 million gallons of reclaimed water each day, while Digital Realty’s site would use 35,000 gallons per day, WFAE reported.
The moratorium is set to end on Nov. 5, at which time city council members will decide on policy changes. Throughout the moratorium, city officials have conducted research, engaging with stakeholders and working to create policy recommendations around the facilities, as the council told Bisnow last month.
Charlotte has also convened a task force “to prepare policy recommendations through a series of seven meetings,” the city announced last week.
The group includes community members and industry experts who will look at how data centers might impact residents’ daily lives. The group will host engagement sessions for community feedback and post its meetings online.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)