York County eyes lengthy data center moratorium, as public concerns rise

York County leaders will get to vote soon on whether to set a nine-month moratorium on data centers, the latest governmental group in the Charlotte region to consider such action on the hot-button issue.

The county Planning and Zoning Committee recommended a data center moratorium on Tuesday. It will go to York County Council, which would have to pass three votes and hold a public hearing to enact it.

The moratorium would allow the county time to look at zoning and land use regulations related to data centers.

As in other parts of the region and the Carolinas, data centers have been hotly debated for months at the county level. York County residents routinely display anti data center signs due to concerns about water and power use, noise, vibrations and overall fit within rural areas.

Three years ago, York County approved a tax incentive agreement with QTS Data Centers to build on a site in Lake Wylie. That deal was based on a $1 billion investment, but now QTS projects the data center at $8 billion. It’s projected to bring 200 jobs and 1,000 construction jobs.

The county and QTS have made several changes. At the company’s request, the county changed its height requirement to allow taller data centers.

Community pushback in recent months, though, led to reviews that could limit how and where future data centers are allowed in York County.

The moratorium would aim to give county staff time to review, and potentially change, its rules before another data center proposal arrives.

Recommendations from county committees typically go to York County Council within a month or so of the initial decisions. Council next meets on June 1. No agenda for that meeting has been published.

Meanwhile in Charlotte, City Council held a public hearing Tuesday night, May 28, as part of a proposal to enact a 150-day data center moratorium there.