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Stokes planning board backs pause on data center development

A man wearing a "no data centers" shirt stands among the crowd at a Stokes County Board of Commissioners meeting
April Laissle
/
WFDD
Stokes County residents wore shirts signaling their opposition to the Project Delta during a January meeting.

The Stokes County Planning Board is recommending a six-month moratorium on data center development.

The board voted 6-1 to recommend the pause, with members saying the county needs more time to study potential environmental and safety concerns raised by residents before moving forward.

The moratorium would likely impact the development of Project Delta, a controversial hyperscale data center planned for Walnut Cove.

The decision ultimately isn’t up to the board though — county commissioners must sign off before the measure can go into effect.

The commission previously rejected the planning board’s recommendations when Project Delta first came up for a vote in January. Members approved a zoning change clearing the way for the facility, but it was later voided after a legal challenge. The developer has since taken steps to reapply.

Commissioners are expected to consider the moratorium recommendation at a meeting Monday at 6 p.m.

April Laissle is a senior reporter and editor at WFDD. Her work has been featured on several national news programs and recognized by the Public Media Journalists Association and the Radio Television Digital News Association. Before joining WFDD in 2019, she worked at public radio stations in Ohio and California.