Surry County Commissioners Vote to Pursue 60-Day Data Center Moratorium

Surry County, North Carolina, is taking steps to regulate data center development by unanimously voting to pursue a 60-day moratorium. This decision by the Surry County Board of Commissioners was spurred by recent events in neighboring Stokes County, where a data center project faced legal challenges due to inadequate public notice, and an inquiry from an out-of-state party about data center development in Surry.

Development Services Director Adrienne Gardner informed the commissioners that the county's current development ordinance lacks specific provisions for data centers, potentially allowing them under existing manufacturing or heavy industrial zoning. Her department is drafting a zoning text amendment to address this gap, aiming for a planning board review and a final draft by July 20.

County Attorney Howard Jones presented legal options, warning that development applications substantially completed before new ordinances could bypass future regulations, citing Stokes County as a cautionary tale. Commissioner Melissa Hiatt expressed concerns about leaving the county vulnerable to applications before the ordinance is finalized. The proposed moratorium would halt data center applications for up to 60 days or until the text amendment is passed, whichever comes first. A public hearing for the moratorium is set for June 1. Other North Carolina counties, including Orange, Chatham, Charlotte, and Northampton, have also recently enacted or proposed similar development pauses.