Can a data center be built near you? How local governments regulating them
Jasper County enacted a one-year moratorium on data center applications, while Colleton County created an exclusion area banning data centers across portions of its rural land after settling a lawsuit. Beaufort County’s Planning Commission advanced a proposed nine-month moratorium to County Council for consideration, citing concerns about water, electricity, environmental impacts and community effects.
Several Lowcountry counties are taking steps to restrict or pause data center development amid concerns about power and water demand, environmental impacts and effects on nearby residents. Jasper County Council approved a one-year moratorium covering unincorporated areas, while Colleton County established a Data Center Exclusion Area as part of a settlement involving a lawsuit over an 850-acre proposed facility in the ACE Basin.
In Beaufort County, the Planning Commission voted to forward a proposed nine-month moratorium to County Council. The pause would stop the review of data center applications and issuance of building permits while officials study impacts, reconsider zoning rules and gather public input. The proposal still requires three readings and approval by County Council, and no data centers have currently been proposed in Beaufort County.