Charlotte Giving red Light to Data Center Projects

The Charlotte City Council voted for a 150-day moratorium on new data center development.

During the development pause, city officials will study the developments’ impact on the environment in order to streamline their policy.

“When we can agree on the facts, then we can talk about good policy,” council member Victoria Watlington said, according to Bisnow.

The pause does not apply to already-greenlit developments with valid building permits and a complete application for developmental approval, the outlet said.

Local residents and leaders have been rallying, specifically, against American Tower Corporation’s 40,000-square-foot data center, nestled next to a nature preserve. A public hearing on American Tower’s zoning request is on the agenda for Monday, and will likely be subject to the pause. The first phase of PowerHouse Charlotte will also be subject to the ruling.

“This 150 day pause gives us the time that we need to do our homework,” council member Dimple Ajmera told Axios Charlotte. “This 150 day pause today can prevent years of unintended consequences.”

Data centers have been cropping up at quick clips across the country, causing municipalities to take a second look at their impacts. Monterey Park in Southern California went as far as to institute a permanent ban. Across North Carolina, Durham passed a 60-day moratorium, and the city of Apex passed a full year pause in April, according to the outlet.

In total, there are 43 data center developments in Charlotte alone, and a total of 93 in North Carolina across 19 markets, according to the Data Center Map. Residents and municipal officials say that they’ve seen data center developments in the past, but never at this volume, and never at this pace. Concerns about this specific type of new development are mostly the same across the country: noise pollution, effects on water supply and an increased demand on the local power grids.

— Hunter Cooke