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Fayetteville council sets Aug. 10 hearing on UDO changes after heated debate over data centers
Summary
After sustained public comment and a tense council exchange over whether to halt approvals, Fayetteville City Council voted to set a legislative public hearing Aug. 10 to consider Unified Development Ordinance changes addressing telecommunications and data-storage facilities and directed staff to assemble technical briefings on power, water and other impacts.
FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville City Council on Monday moved to hold a public hearing Aug. 10 on proposed amendments to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance that would affect telecommunications and data-storage facilities, following heated debate and vocal public turnout urging a moratorium.
Councilmember Andre McMillan attempted earlier in the meeting to add a moratorium on data centers to the agenda, saying the community needs time to study potential harms. "I would like to make a motion to add an agenda item pertaining to a motion to approve a moratorium on data centers in Fayetteville," McMillan said during the agenda discussion. That effort failed to advance for lack of a second during the procedural exchange.
Later, councilmembers debated whether to delay consideration or set a date for a legislative hearing. Councilmember Darryl Jones moved to set Aug. 10 for a public hearing on the proposed UDO amendments and to require staff to provide detailed information in advance, including presentations on power and water usage, best practices, and opportunities for the public to hear expert testimony and staff findings. The motion passed; two council members recorded opposition to the hearing on the final vote.
The council’s action requires staff to return with technical briefings and other materials in the weeks before the hearing so the public and council can assess operational impacts. Supporters of the hearing said the process will give residents and council a forum to hear the same data and expert testimony. Opponents argued a moratorium would be the stronger tool to pause approvals while the city studies regulatory gaps.
Public commenters packed the chamber and urged action to limit or pause data-center development. Councilmember McMillan at one point asked the audience, "Could you make some noise if you came specifically to press this council for…Moratorium?" The meeting included several rounds of public expression and repeated requests from residents for more time and information before any approvals.
The Aug. 10 meeting will be legislative in nature: staff will present the proposed UDO language and supporting analysis, and the public will have an opportunity to speak for and against the amendments. Council directed staff to include expert presentations and data on energy and water usage and to make the materials available to the public in advance of the hearing. The council did not adopt a moratorium at Monday’s meeting.
