American Tower Data Center Expansion in Raleigh Filed Before Moratorium
American Tower submitted plans to expand its data center in western Raleigh before the city enacted a six-month moratorium on data center applications. Because the application was filed in advance, it will proceed under the city’s prior rules, although the approval path remains unclear.
American Tower has applied to expand its roughly 15,000-square-foot data center on Chapel Hill Road in western Raleigh by about 10,000 square feet. The application was submitted four days before the Raleigh City Council approved a six-month moratorium on data center applications covering facilities of at least 10,000 square feet, allowing the project to proceed under the city’s previous rules.
The expansion is not currently scheduled for public deliberation, and it is unclear whether city staff or the Raleigh Board of Adjustment will handle approval. American Tower disputes the city’s view that the project requires a special use permit, arguing in its application that the expansion is permitted by right. Council members Jane Harrison and Christina Jones raised concerns about the lack of public and council awareness, while Harrison said the project’s location in an industrial area and its status as an expansion make it less concerning than a new data center.