Planning commission recommends 12‑month moratorium on data centers to allow zoning rules to be drafted

The Hartsville–Triestale County Planning Commission voted to recommend a 12‑month moratorium on new data centers to give staff and the codes-and‑zoning committee time to develop locally tailored regulations addressing siting, water and power use, noise and accessory structures.

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff said data centers present potentially large utility and land‑use impacts and that other jurisdictions have used short moratoriums while they craft definitions and standards. The recommendation will go to the county legislative body for consideration.

A planning consultant who presented example ordinances said many communities have adopted 6‑ to 12‑month moratoriums while they study possible rules. “Most communities that I work with are already imposing moratoriums on data centers for either 6 months or 1 year, while they are considering regulations like these,” the consultant said, noting concerns including cooling, water use, electrical infrastructure and noise.

Commissioner David said he had already contacted the water and electric utilities about typical industry demand and cautioned that overly stringent rules could drive potential projects elsewhere. He also raised a federal‑policy caveat: “I would hate for the federal government to come in and then take all our control away from us because it's national security,” he said, arguing for a balance between regulation and competitiveness.

Commissioners discussed possible thresholds and definitions, including whether to treat large centers or aggregate capacity above a megawatt threshold as conditional uses. Several speakers emphasized that modern data centers often use closed‑loop cooling and on‑site renewable generation, reducing some historic impacts but not eliminating concerns about local grid draw and water sources.

Motion and vote: Commissioner Cal moved and Katie seconded a motion recommending the county impose a 12‑month moratorium on new data centers so codes and zoning can craft regulations; the planning commission voted 7 in favor and 1 opposed. The transcript records the tally but does not name the individual who voted no.

Next steps: The recommendation will be transmitted to the county commission, which will decide whether to enact a moratorium or adopt specific ordinance language. Codes and zoning staff were asked to coordinate with utilities and to return draft language for the commission’s review.