Apex plans to adopt data center moratorium

The town of Apex, North Carolina plans to adopt a one-year moratorium on data center development. The move comes after the developer of the proposed 300 MW New Hill Digital Campus project pulled out. Apex Mayor Pro-Tem Terry Mahaffey introduced the moratorium, citing the need for town staff to develop clear zoning rules for data centers without the "distraction" of an active application. Chatham County had previously approved a similar temporary moratorium. Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert also proposed forming a committee to research data center impacts, but the council decided to leave that to the town's Environmental Advisory Board instead. Members of the Protect Wake County Coalition, a community group opposing the New Hill project, expressed disappointment with the council's decision but said the pending moratorium is a step in the right direction.