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Durham places 12‑month pause on new or expanded data centers to study water, energy and zoning impacts
Summary
Following intense public comment about drought, energy use and environmental justice, Durham's City Council unanimously adopted a moratorium that pauses new data center applications and expansions while staff develops regulations; the moratorium includes specific carveouts and ends earlier if new rules are adopted.
Durham — The Durham City Council on Tuesday adopted an ordinance placing a temporary moratorium on development approvals for new data centers, cryptocurrency mining and related high‑impact data processing facilities, citing concerns about water, energy and neighborhood impacts.
The moratorium, adopted unanimously after a public hearing, extends an earlier 60‑day pause by an additional 10 months so the total pause equals 12 months unless staff completes required rulemaking earlier. Council amended the draft language to make clear the pause covers expansions of existing data centers as well as new applications.
Supporters of a longer ban urged the council to adopt a lengthier moratorium (some speakers requested up to 32 months), contending the industry's high water and energy demand can stress municipal systems and concentrate environmental harms in lower‑income neighborhoods. "Data centers negatively impact air quality and use vast amounts of water," said Ashley Daniels of Toxic Free NC during public comment.
City staff told the council the 12‑month period is a reasonable timetable to draft land‑use regulations and technical standards. "We have already done regional coordination and background work," Planning staff said; the moratorium is intended to give planners time to finalize ordinance language that addresses cooling methods, water use limits, permissible scales, and related infrastructure requirements.
The adopted ordinance includes carveouts for certain institutional or emergency uses and explicitly prohibits using the moratorium as a pretext to stop lawful, established public‑safety or utility actions. Council also inserted language preventing expansions of existing facilities during the moratorium unless they fit carveouts listed in the ordinance.
What happens next: Planning and development staff will return with draft regulatory language, best‑practice cooling and water‑use limitations, and options for thresholds that distinguish small, on‑site server rooms from hyperscale facilities. The moratorium automatically ends earlier if the council adopts the new rules before the 12 months expire.
Provenance: Staff presentation and public hearing began at SEG 4264; the council motion to adopt the ordinance and the unanimous vote are on the record at SEG 5359–5368.
Speakers quoted: Ashley Daniels (Toxic Free NC), Leslie St. Dre (community organizer), Sarah Young (Planning staff).
Authorities referenced: North Carolina General Statute 160D‑107 (moratorium authority).
