Charlotte halts new data center construction, joining growing group in NC

Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer on Jun 8, 2026

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The Charlotte City Council voted unanimously Monday to implement a 150-day moratorium on data centers after months of debate over how to handle the increasingly controversial projects.

Council members say the plan will give them time to learn more about the facilities and consider how to approach future data center developments within the confines of state law. The moratorium will be in place for five months and could be extended.

The vote comes as communities around the country debate how to handle increasingly large data centers creeping into populated areas. The city of Durham enacted a 60-day moratorium in May after residents also cited concerns about environmental impacts. Apex, Canton, Chatham County and Gates County also recently passed 12-month moratoriums.

“This is not a partisan issue when it comes to protecting our neighborhoods across the city,” at-large Council member Dimple Ajmera said at Monday’s meeting. “This is not a blue or red issue. This is the issue about quality of life. This is about clean air, clean water.”

The council previously held a public hearing on the issue in late May after Mayor Vi Lyles blocked a similar attempt in April.

Much of the recent debate in Charlotte stemmed from a petition signed by thousands to block plans to build a data center southeast of Reedy Creek Nature Preserve. Opponents have picked up support from some local advocacy groups and politicians. Ajmera, who called for the data center pause in April, told The Charlotte Observer the moratorium will apply to that project.

“I don’t believe anyone envisioned the scale and speed at which data centers would proliferate across the country,” east Charlotte Councilman J.D. Mazuera Arias said at a Thursday press conference. “Yet today, data centers can be built in seven different zoning districts in Charlotte, and in many cases can be approved by right without the level of public scrutiny.”

At Monday’s meeting, supporters of the moratorium broke out in applause and cheers of “a people united will never be divided” when the vote passed.

The same crowd booed when council members mentioned the growing popularity of artificial intelligence. Council’s discussion was interrupted when a man in the audience shouted questions about an already approved west Charlotte data center.

City attorney Andrea Leslie-Fite told council members the moratorium cannot be applied to projects that were already approved because of constraints within state law.

District 1 Council member Dante Anderson said that while data centers are “not a new issue,” the moratorium window will allow the city to “understand the impacts” of the larger centers required to support newer technologies that are often closer to population centers and require more electricity and water.

“We are learning as we go,” she said. “We’re learning from others who might be a step or two ahead of us. And we’re trying to be nimble to make sure that we’re taking care of your needs, our residents, and making sure that our city is safe.”

Some council members encouraged those who turned out to Monday’s meeting and who’ve advocated for the moratorium for weeks to focus energy on the North Carolina General Assembly. The legislature is currently considering a bill that would put more restrictions on data centers. The legislation clarifies the definition of data centers and allows the state Department of Environmental Quality to set the standards for data centers’ water usage, NC Newsline reported.

“Local governments need the authority to make decisions for the people who actually live here, not just those who profit here,” Mazuera Arias said. “Passing this moratorium is not the end of the work. It is the beginning of broader conversation about all types of advocacy, about restoring local control, so we can protect our neighborhoods, our infrastructure, our quality of life.”

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(Observer reporters Nick Sullivan and Jeff Chamer contributed reporting.)