Cary approves temporary pause on data center development

The Cary Town Council has unanimously approved an 18-month moratorium on data center development, effective immediately and continuing through February 2028. This temporary pause aims to give town leaders time to study how to properly regulate such facilities amidst significant growth in North Carolina's data center industry.

The decision was met with mixed emotions but largely supported by longtime Cary residents who voiced environmental concerns. Critics argued that there is no price worth the ecological and climate destruction caused by data centers, citing the financial burden inevitably passed on to communities due to high electricity and water usage. This move makes Cary the latest Triangle area community to implement such a moratorium.

The moratorium will temporarily suspend development approvals, rezoning applications, development plans, and building permits for large-scale data centers. Currently, Cary's development code lacks specific regulations for data centers. Town leaders explained that the 18-month period would allow for community engagement, regional coordination, and research to determine appropriate scale and location for future data centers, ensuring that growth aligns with the community's existing values and resources.

Initially, the moratorium included exemptions for facilities using less than 25 megawatts, but this was later amended to one megawatt, which is roughly enough electricity for 1,000 homes. The council emphasized the need for clarity on what types of data centers can be built and where.