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Greensboro, Randolph officials take steps to address data centers

Greensboro city council
Screenshot courtesy City of Greensboro
Greensboro City Council meeting on Monday, August 3, 2026

Officials in Greensboro and Randolph County took steps to address concerns around data centers Monday night.

The Greensboro City Council is considering a 120-day moratorium on data center development.

If enacted, the pause would specifically apply to facilities with an electrical power demand above 10 megawatts. Council Member Crystal Black called it a “balanced solution.”

“It keeps our economic momentum going while putting strong community safeguards in place that our residents expect," she said. "However, this council is only part of the equation. We need your voice to get this right.”

The council unanimously voted to hold a public hearing August 17 to gather input from the community.

At the Randolph County Commissioners’ latest meeting, the board made adjustments to the existing ordinance governing data centers.

The changes include requiring closed-loop cooling systems to limit water consumption, noise impact studies and more.

Amy Diaz began covering education in North Carolina’s Piedmont region and High Country for WFDD in partnership with Report For America in 2022. Before entering the world of public radio, she worked as a local government reporter in Flint, Mich. where she was named the 2021 Rookie Writer of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. Diaz is originally from Florida, where she interned at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida, but truly got her start in the field in elementary school writing scripts for the morning news. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.