Charlotte joins growing group in NC halting new data center construction

The Charlotte City Council unanimously voted to enact a 150-day moratorium on new data center construction following extensive debate and public opposition. This decision, made on Monday, grants the council a five-month period to research data center impacts, particularly concerning environmental concerns like air and water quality, and to formulate a more structured approach to future developments within the bounds of state law. The moratorium is potentially extendable and directly affects a controversial project planned southeast of Reedy Creek Nature Preserve, which had garnered thousands of petition signatures.

Council members, including Dimple Ajmera and J.D. Mazuera Arias, emphasized that the measure addresses quality of life for residents and aims to restore local control over developments that have proliferated rapidly and often without sufficient public scrutiny due to existing zoning regulations. The vote was met with applause from supporters at the meeting, many of whom have actively advocated for the pause.

Charlotte joins a growing number of North Carolina communities, such as Durham, Apex, Canton, Chatham County, and Gates County, that have recently implemented similar moratoriums due to residents' concerns. City attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite clarified that the moratorium cannot retroactively apply to projects that have already received city approval. Council members encouraged advocates to also engage with the North Carolina General Assembly, which is currently reviewing a bill designed to impose more restrictions on data centers, including clarifying definitions and allowing the Department of Environmental Quality to set water usage standards.