Davidson County Commissioners Split on Data Center Moratorium, no action taken
Davidson County Commissioners Split on Data Center Moratorium
A proposed six-month pause on new data center development failed Monday night after the Davidson County Board of Commissioners split 3-3 on the measure.
Karen Watford, Chair
Todd Yates, and Steve Shell voted against the Moratorium.
Chris Elliott, Tripp Kester, Matt Mizell voted for the Moratorium.
Fred McClure was absent
The Aug. 24 vote followed a public hearing some residents urged county leaders to slow potential data center development while officials study possible impacts on water, electricity, the environment, public health and surrounding communities. Because the motion ended in a tie, the moratorium was not adopted.
Several recognized that there is a need for data centers but questioned future locations.
The proposed ordinance would have temporarily stopped the county from accepting, processing and approving development applications for data centers for six months. According to the county's public hearing notice, the pause was intended to give officials time to study data center facilities and consider amendments to the Davidson County Zoning Ordinance.
Commissioners first moved toward a possible moratorium in July, directing county planning and legal staff to prepare an ordinance for consideration. At that time, Commissioner Matt Mizell said the county was not aware of a data center project actively targeting Davidson County, but argued that the appropriate time to consider a moratorium was before a project was already underway.
The July discussion followed concerns from residents about the potential demands large-scale data centers could place on water and electrical infrastructure as well as noise and other effects on neighboring properties. Commissioners also discussed the need to distinguish large hyperscale facilities from smaller data operations that may serve hospitals, colleges or other institutions.
Those concerns continued Monday.
One resident told commissioners the county should consider an even longer pause, while another stressed that asking for additional time to study data centers should not be interpreted as opposition to economic development. Residents argued that development should not come at the expense of the county's people and natural resources.
The debate in Davidson County comes as other communities across North Carolina consider how to regulate the rapidly expanding data center industry. Davie and Surry counties have approved moratoriums, and Mount Airy approved a temporary pause while officials examine potential regulations.
Data centers house computer servers and other equipment used for cloud computing, internet services and increasingly artificial intelligence. Their economic-development potential has been weighed against concerns in communities across North Carolina about electricity demand, water use, noise and environmental impacts.
