Settlement bans data center development across most of Colleton County’s ACE Basin
A settlement between Colleton County and the Southern Environmental Law Center will create a Data Center Exclusion Area covering most of the county’s ACE Basin. The agreement resolves a lawsuit challenging county zoning changes and blocks data center development in ecologically sensitive areas, including an 850-acre site where the Eagle Rock complex had been proposed.
Colleton County, South Carolina, has agreed to establish a Data Center Exclusion Area covering most of the county’s ACE Basin as part of a settlement with the Southern Environmental Law Center. The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed on behalf of landowners Jennifer Singleton and Miles Crosby challenging zoning changes that permitted data centers in rural areas.
The exclusion area will cover sensitive lands along the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, as well as an 850-acre parcel where the Eagle Rock data center complex was proposed. The county previously imposed a moratorium on data center approvals, later partially repealing it west of Interstate 95 and in areas already zoned for industrial use. SELC South Carolina Office Director Chris DeScherer called the settlement a victory for the ACE Basin and its environmental and rural communities.