Sanford developer sues Chatham County over data center moratorium

On April 23, ECO Tip West LLC, a development company led by Kirk J. Bradley, filed a lawsuit against Chatham County, North Carolina, challenging the county's recently enacted one-year moratorium on data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations. The suit was filed in Chatham County Superior Court and seeks a declaratory judgment, compensatory damages, attorney's fees, and an exemption for its proposed 750-megawatt data center project. The developer claims to have invested over $11 million and spent four years pursuing development at a site located at 338 Pea Ridge Road, east of Moncure, which is part of the larger Triangle Innovation Point. According to the lawsuit, county officials were aware of the plans since October 2025, and the site has had heavy industrial zoning since 1969, updated in 2018. ECO Tip West LLC asserts it received a zoning permit on October 29, 2025, from the county, granting it a "by-right use" for its project at the Moncure Megasite, a claim supported by an October 30 letter from Planning Director Jason Sullivan. The suit also states that utilities, including Duke Energy and TriRiver Water, have provided assurances of service. The county commissioners approved the moratorium on February 11, after Bradley had previously informed them that Triangle Innovation Point West should be exempt. The lawsuit, filed by a Raleigh law firm, names several county officials and requests expedited judicial review.