Council asks staff to pursue text amendment to regulate data centers, declines moratorium

The Fletcher Town Council directed staff to move forward with drafting a text amendment to the land-development code to define and regulate data centers, rather than pursuing a moratorium.

Tyler Morrow, introduced to the meeting as the staff presenter, summarized where existing town ordinances treat data-related facilities and noted the national trend of local governments considering moratoria to gain time for rulemaking. "Just kind of figuring out where we align, how we align, what we currently regulate, what we don't currently regulate," Morrow said, asking for feedback on whether staff should seek a moratorium or draft a text amendment.

Councilors cited nuisance concerns, especially noise from generators at night, and resource impacts such as high electricity and water demand for cooling. One council member said the town already has language addressing cryptocurrency mining and recommended broadening that approach: "If prohibition is the route to go, we could just say cryptocurrency mining and data centers as the use," Morrow said, noting that a text amendment defining the uses could be run through the planning board and follow a normal public-hearing schedule.

Council members said they did not see an urgent need for a moratorium and preferred to route the amendment through the planning board for recommendation, with a typical timeline that could place the matter before planning in April and a public hearing in May. No formal ordinance was adopted at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will prepare a text amendment draft for planning-board review and then return to council for public hearing and possible adoption.