Gates County Planning Department Drafts Data Center Ordinance Recommendation

The Gates County Planning Department in North Carolina is hosting a community engagement session on August 20 to present recommendations for a new ordinance regulating data centers within the county. Planning Director Lisa Cherry stated that this session is a direct outcome of a one-year moratorium on data center development, which was unanimously enacted by the Gates County Commissioners on December 17, 2025.

The moratorium prohibits the acceptance, processing, or approval of applications for data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, or other high-impact data processing facilities until December 17, 2026. During this period, the Board of Commissioners and county staff are tasked with studying potential impacts, including energy, water, noise, and land use, in consultation with local utility providers and the UNC School of Government. They are also drafting specific land use ordinance amendments and performance standards, such as appropriate zoning districts, setback requirements, noise limitations, and utility capacity conditions.

At the December 2025 meeting, Vice Chair of the Board of Commissioners, Nathan Berryman, indicated that four large companies were interested in building data centers in eastern North Carolina, and County Manager Scott Sauer noted two inquiries from PACE, a firm specializing in such ordinances. Five individuals spoke at a public hearing during that meeting, all expressing opposition due to concerns about wildlife, the electrical grid, water consumption, water pollution, and noise. The upcoming session aims to gather further public input on the Planning Board's recommendations before they are presented to the Board of Commissioners for public hearings and potential adoption.