Raleigh pauses data centers while it writes new rules
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Raleigh is banning new data center development for six months. City Council approved the moratorium late Tuesday.
Why it matters: The pause gives Raleigh time to rewrite its development rules to address data centers' impacts, including noise, water use and air and light pollution.
Zoom in: The Raleigh City Council voted 7-1 Tuesday night.
- Christina Jones cast the lone "no" vote, saying six months was too short.
- Residents had called for 32 months.
State of play: Dozens of North Carolina communities have enacted moratoriums of varying lengths.
- Cary's lasts 18 months, while Orange County and Apex both went with one year. Durham's city and county moratoriums are nine months.
What they're saying: "I think six months is the appropriate amount of time to meet this moment, and as it evolves, we too will evolve," Council member Megan Patton said, adding that she thinks the "data center conversation is carrying a lot of water for broader AI consternation."
- "The city of Raleigh is a tech hub. We have a lot of hospitals, we have a lot of universities and we need to be conscious and thoughtful in the regulations we bring back so we're not impacting the lifeblood of a lot of people that live here," Jennifer Ashton, one of the city's attorneys, told City Council members.
Friction point: As Raleigh drafts new rules, Ashton says it will be tricky to work around a 2024 state law that bans downzoning.
- The law bars local governments from decreasing a property's permitted uses, like broadly banning data centers. Ashton says Raleigh instead must focus on data centers' unique impacts.
What's next: The moratorium expires April 6. City staff hope to have permanent rules in place by then.