Charlotte City Council votes to hold public meeting on a data center moratorium

The Charlotte City Council recently voted to schedule a public hearing to discuss a potential moratorium on data center development, which could be enacted by early June. City staff presented their findings on the current state of data centers to council members on May 11. A public meeting is set for May 26 to gather community feedback before a possible vote on a new moratorium ordinance on June 8. While North Carolina law limits some zoning changes against data centers, city leaders are exploring options such as a strategic plan or enacting a moratorium. The discussion was spurred by a proposed 60-acre data center project spanning approximately 40,000 square feet on Hood Road in east Charlotte, located in District 5 and represented by Councilman J.D. Mazuera-Arias. Mazuera-Arias expressed concern about the city's reactive approach to data center development.