Yadkinville issues statement on data center plans
White Fiber is purchasing portions of the Unifi manufacturing plant in Yadkinville, NC, for a data center project. While Yadkin County enacted a two-year moratorium on data centers, it does not apply to municipalities like Yadkinville. The Town of Yadkinville has issued a statement explaining that it cannot impose its own moratorium due to existing zoning that permits data centers and state statutes.
White Fiber, with its wholly-owned subsidiary Enovum Data Centers, is set to acquire parts of the Unifi manufacturing plant in Yadkinville, North Carolina, to convert them into data centers. The announcement of this $60 million sale sparked significant public concern on social media, with residents urging the town to implement a moratorium on data center development.
Simultaneously, Yadkin County leaders enacted a two-year moratorium on data centers to review the county's land use plan. However, this county-wide moratorium explicitly excludes municipalities such as Yadkinville. The properties in question are located within Yadkinville's Light Industrial zoned area, where data centers are an already permitted use. Town Manager Mike Koser and the Yadkinville Board of Commissioners issued a formal statement addressing public inquiries, clarifying that state statutes and existing zoning regulations prevent the town from initiating a separate public hearing or imposing a moratorium on data centers at this time. They emphasized that any application for a data center must be considered under the rules applicable at the time of submission, and the town cannot retroactively change zoning rules solely due to public opposition.