York County just OK’d data center moratorium. Its impact depends on what comes next

York County put a moratorium in place on for data centers on Monday. Now, the hard work begins of finding long-term answers for where they should go.

After more than two hours or public input that echoed months of pushback on data center projects, York County Council voted unanimously to start a nine-month moratorium. The county will use that time to revamp land use and zoning rules that determine if, when and where data centers can go.

“A nine-month moratorium on data centers is a good start,” said Rock Hill resident Ron Wathan.

Residents aired concerns about water and electricity demand, environmental impact, noise, vibration and construction traffic brought on by data centers. Many asked the county to for independent research on data center impacts, rather than accepting information from data center companies in what is a fast-growing but relatively new field.

“That would really be pretty irresponsible and negligent if you just take their word for all the good they’re doing,” Wathan said.

The moratorium only stops new proposals. York County has one data center in development, the $8 billion QTS facility in Lake Wylie. Its construction has led to numerous public comments in recent months from people asking county elected officials to limit or stop new projects.

The council approved a tax incentive agreement for QTS three years ago, setting the Kansas-based company up to build on 360 acres along Campbell Road and Hands Mill Highway. In December, the company more than doubled its land holdings by purchasing more than 400 acres for $26.1 million.

The company hasn’t stated specific plans for the additional property.

York County plans to review data center rules

Data center concerns aren’t confined to York County. Communities across the country are looking into rules as the industry grows. Data centers have gone from overlooked in local ordinances to one of the most debated topics in public hearings.

Last month, Chester County paused data center projects for six months. Some elected officials have discussed a similar review in Lancaster County. Charlotte passed a data center moratorium last month.

York County Regional Chamber of Commerce CEO Dean Faile supports the moratorium. He also supports QTS, which he sees as a model for quality data center development. New development is far different from what it was a decade or more ago, he said.

“Technology is changing rapidly,” Faile said. “Taking the time to study the environmental, infrastructure and energy implications of future projects is responsible government.”

Data centers are often maligned for creating massive water use that can impact groundwater. The QTS project, though, will use a closed loop system that reuses water after an initial fill. County efforts during the moratorium should create clear expectations, Faile said, for anyone who might look to start a data center project.

There have been some changes related to data centers since the QTS project, a first of its kind in the county. Last year, at the request of QTS, the county voted to allow taller buildings for data centers—up to 80 feet. This spring, the county made preliminary changes to which zoning districts would allow data centers, and what would be required to approve one.

York County Council Chairwoman asked for Monday’s public comments to be transcribed so county staff can address concerns in work during the moratorium. A planning and zoning committee will begin work in August to address concerns, said Councilwoman Debi Cloninger.

“I do have a quite extensive list,” she said.

Residents applauded the county decision Monday. What difference the moratorium will make will depend on changes in the coming nine months.

“I think it’ll become overwhelmingly obvious why the moratorium was necessary,” Wathan said.