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Bedford County committee sends proposed one-year data-center moratorium to full commission
Summary
The Rose Committee voted to send a proposed one-year moratorium on large data-center development to the full Bedford County Commission for review, citing concerns about water use, power infrastructure and noise while staff prepares development standards.
The Rose Committee of the Bedford County Commission voted to send a proposed one-year moratorium on large-scale data-center development to the full county commission for consideration.
Planning staff member Chris Watts, identified in the transcript as “Chris,” told the committee the moratorium is intended to give local government time to study the issue and create development standards. "That's really what a moratorium is for," Watts said, adding that moratoriums must include "an expiration date, and it has to be logical." He said staff will review other jurisdictions and consult legal reviewers before the item reaches the commission.
Committee members pressed staff on likely impacts. One committee member summarized common public concerns as "the noise" and "the amount of water the current technology takes," and asked whether local permitting could accommodate current data-center designs. Watts said staff included provisions in the draft resolution showing uncommitted utility capacity and water availability; as an example he said, hypothetically, "let's just say... 2,000,000 gallons a day" could be the amount of uncommitted water in one scenario and that utilities have state permits that cap daily withdrawals.
Watts and other speakers noted tradeoffs: data centers typically employ relatively few workers for the land and utility footprint they require, but they also can generate substantial property tax revenue. Watts said the moratorium would allow Bedford County to craft standards that, among other things, require developers to pay for necessary infrastructure so existing ratepayers are not charged for build-out costs.
After the discussion, a committee member moved to send the moratorium resolution to the full commission; that motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Committee members instructed staff to complete the study and return with recommended standards within the moratorium period, or to request a justified extension if more time is needed.
The item will next appear on the Bedford County Commission agenda for formal consideration; no final county-level restrictions were adopted at the committee meeting.
