Cary approves temporary pause on data center development
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Cary Town Council unanimously approved an 18-month moratorium on data centers Thursday evening, temporarily pausing certain development activities while town leaders' study how such facilities should be regulated.
The decision follows growing interest in data center development across North Carolina, driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence and increasing data demands. Concerns about water and electricity usage have prompted some Triangle communities to consider or adopt similar pauses.
Under the moratorium, Cary will temporarily suspend development approvals, rezoning applications, development plans and building permits associated with data centers seeking to locate in the town.
Residents offered mixed reactions before the vote.
Some voiced concerns about the environmental impact of data centers and their potential costs.
"There is no price worth the ecological and climate destruction caused by these data centers and the financial cost that is inevitably passed down to the communities forced to live with them," one Cary resident said.
Another resident supported the pause.
"It definitely is worth having this moratorium. It won't actually provide any economic benefit to the city," the resident said.
Town officials said Cary's current development code does not specifically regulate data centers. The 18-month moratorium is intended to provide time for research, community engagement and regional coordination as the town evaluates questions such as where data centers should be allowed, how large they should be and whether Cary's water and electric infrastructure can support them.
Not all residents supported the move.
"I just want to say this is silly, straight up silly. Cary has been about growth and development for the 20 years I've been here and this sends the wrong message. Now, I'm not saying you should go build a data center next to Publix around the corner. No, no. I'm saying that we have plenty of land, though," another resident said.
Councilwoman Lori Bush said the moratorium is not intended to halt growth but to ensure thoughtful planning.
"It's not saying No to growth. It's just saying that we use the same discipline that we've used over time with this new evolution of a technology. So we don't trade resources that make this community so very special," Bush said.
Bush also said, "I think 18 months to get this right is a small price to pay to protect what took decades to build."
The council also amended the proposal during the process. An initial exemption for facilities using less than 25 megawatts was changed to one megawatt, which officials said is roughly enough electricity to power up to 1,000 homes.
Councilwoman Carissa Johnson said the town should establish clear standards for future development.
"We should be very, very clear what can be built and where it can be built," Johnson said.
She also expressed concerns about the pause.
"Im a little uncomfortable with just a blanket moratorium on all data centers because we don't want to say out of one side of her mouth, we're smart city and we embrace technology and then out of the other side of her mouth, say, but for 18 months it all needs to come to a screeching halt," Johnson continued.
The moratorium takes effect immediately and is scheduled to remain in place through February 2028.
