Pulaski County rejects data center moratorium, leaving AVAIO project uninterrupted
The Pulaski County Quorum Court has rejected a proposed one-year moratorium on data center projects, which would have temporarily paused developments to allow time for new regulations. This decision means the AVAIO Digital project, a $6 billion data center near Wrightsville, can proceed uninterrupted. The ordinance failed largely because it included an exemption for projects already in the planning phase, leading many to vote no.
The Pulaski County Quorum Court has voted down a proposed one-year moratorium on data center development, concluding months of debate over how to regulate large-scale data center projects. The ordinance, sponsored by Justice Diane Curry, aimed to provide the county with 12 months to develop permanent rules for future high-impact data center developments. The debate focused particularly on the AVAIO Digital project, an over $6 billion data center under construction outside of Wrightsville.
A key point of contention was that the proposed moratorium allowed for partial exemption for projects already in certain development phases, including AVAIO Digital, which is in its planning phase. This exemption led a majority of the court to vote against the ordinance. Justice Stephen Pearson introduced an amendment to the ordinance to make exempt parties subject to future regulations, but this was also voted down.
The rejection of the moratorium means that Pulaski County currently has no temporary pause on data center projects, allowing AVAIO Digital to continue its development uninterrupted. It will be up to the court to bring a new ordinance forward for another vote to address future data center regulations.