Forsyth rejects data center moratorium proposal over legal concerns
Forsyth County commissioners voted 5-2 to reject a proposed six-month moratorium on new data center development. County Attorney Gordon Watkins warned that the moratorium could expose the county to legal challenges, while commissioners Dan Besse and Tonya McDaniel supported it.
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners rejected a proposal drafted by Commissioner Dan Besse to pause new data center development for six months. The vote was 5-2, with Besse and Commissioner Tonya McDaniel supporting the moratorium.
County Attorney Gordon Watkins advised commissioners that the measure could face legal challenges, citing a case in Chatham County where a developer successfully challenged a moratorium imposed after its project had begun. Besse argued that the Forsyth proposal would apply only to new projects, but the board ultimately declined to approve it.