Planning Commission debates major subdivision moratorium language before sending it to council
Moore County’s Metro Planning Commission revised draft language for a one-year residential subdivision moratorium and sent it back to the Metro Council for a vote. The commission also advanced proposed data center zoning standards intended to support the county’s existing two-year data center moratorium, including limits on location, height, noise, water use and on-site power generation.
The Moore County Metro Planning Commission debated and revised a proposed one-year moratorium on residential subdivisions of four or more lots before sending the measure back to the Metro Council. Commissioners disagreed over whether apartments should be included, with some citing the county’s housing shortage and others warning that growth is outpacing roads, water, schools and waste capacity. No formal vote was taken, and the council is expected to consider the language next month.
The commission also agreed to forward draft data center standards designed to reinforce the county’s existing two-year moratorium, which was approved by the council earlier this year. The proposed rules would limit facilities to heavy industrial zoning, impose a 35-foot height cap and 500-foot separation from sensitive areas, restrict noise, limit one-time water use to 100,000 gallons, require closed-loop cooling and generally prohibit on-site power generation except during emergencies. Commissioners left unresolved whether the standards should apply throughout the I-2 district or be placed in a new data-center-specific zoning district. Silicon Ranch separately reported that its solar project’s substation had been energized by TVA and commissioning had begun.