Davie County is the latest North Carolina community to hit pause on data center development.
At a packed meeting, the board unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on the facilities. Explaining his vote, Commissioner Mark Jones noted that Davie is one of North Carolina’s smallest counties.
“A 600-acre industrial campus of any kind in rural Davie County is not something that I think we need, whether it's the data center, whether they're making widgets," he said. "I don't oppose development, but there's a time and a place, and that is not the place”
The move was applauded by a group of residents wearing orange “Davie Against Data” T-shirts. Many of them spoke during a nearly two-hour public comment period, raising concerns about environmental impacts, water use and potential public health risks.
At least 12 counties have passed similar moratoriums in the last year. A bill regulating data center development at the state level is currently pending in the Senate.