Highlands, NC Considers Data Center Moratorium
The town of Highlands, North Carolina, is holding a public hearing on a proposed data center moratorium ordinance. This follows a similar one-year moratorium recently enacted by Macon County. The town aims to prevent high-impact industrial uses like data centers by updating its zoning ordinances.
The town of Highlands, North Carolina, is scheduled to hold a public hearing on a proposed data center moratorium ordinance at an upcoming town commissioners meeting. This consideration comes on the heels of Macon County Commissioners' recent vote to implement a one-year moratorium on resource-intensive data center developments, allowing the county time to establish regulations for the industry's expansion.
Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor voiced concerns regarding the potential impact of data centers on the community. While acknowledging the town's limited available land, he emphasized the importance of ensuring zoning ordinances are robust enough to prevent high-impact uses that do not align with the town's character. Town attorney Nick Tosco advised proactive measures, learning from past experiences with rapid, unregulated growth like short-term rentals.
The proposed moratorium outlines several concerns associated with data centers and similar high-intensity computing facilities. These include land-use impacts, high demands on energy and water resources, potential strain on water quality for downstream users, noise and low-frequency sound pollution, increased fire and emergency response demands, and the broader effect on community character, compatibility, and property values.
Following the public hearing, the Highlands commissioners will vote on the moratorium ordinance. If approved, the town plans to dedicate the subsequent six to twelve months to studying data center land-use impacts, reviewing regulatory approaches from other North Carolina jurisdictions, and evaluating permitting approval processes to inform updates to its zoning ordinances.