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Commissioner asks planning commission for moratorium, zoning rewrite on data centers
Summary
A Bedford County committee discussed constituent concerns about data centers and urged the planning commission to consider a temporary moratorium and rewritten zoning rules to address heavy water and energy impacts.
A committee member urged Bedford County officials to ask the planning commission to place a moratorium on data centers and to consider rewriting zoning rules for large, high-impact facilities.
The committee member said constituents are worried about data centers’ heavy water and electricity use and suggested the county ask the planning commission for a moratorium while new zoning safeguards are developed. “I’d like to see this committee discuss asking the planning commission to put a moratorium on data centers here in Bedford County and maybe rewrite the bylaws concerning that,” the committee member said.
Other members said the planning commission already has a draft under consideration and that a moratorium could be limited to one year (some suggested it might be permissible for up to 18 months) while staff and commissioners craft zoning language. A separate member cautioned the moratorium should not be narrowly limited to data centers alone but should address any development with heavy water and power impacts so the county can place such facilities in appropriate zones.
No formal vote to enact a moratorium occurred at the meeting; the committee recorded that the planning commission is working on draft language, and members said any final recommendation will come back to the commission for consideration.
The next procedural step, as discussed in the meeting, is to await the planning commission’s draft and then review proposed zoning changes and moratorium duration at a future committee or commission meeting.
