Durham County commissioners will consider a 12-month pause on data center development Monday night. The county implemented a 60-day moratorium in May, but now commissioners are considering extending it. A public hearing will be held to reduce the barriers required to institute a pause.
Background
The city of Durham already has a data center moratorium, initially for 60 days, and it has now been extended to 12 months. Other nearby towns and counties, including Wake County, Chatham County, Orange County, and Fayetteville, have also implemented moratoriums on data centers.
The debate over data centers goes beyond Durham, with concerns about their use of water and potential noise pollution that could hurt property values. The goal of the proposed pause would be to give the local government time to develop appropriate regulations for certain land use.
Original reporting: WRAL Raleigh — read the source article.