Forsyth County commissioners have rejected a proposal to temporarily pause new data center development.
The vote comes as data center moratoriums become increasingly common across North Carolina. At least 50 municipalities have adopted them in recent months amid concerns about the facilities’ effects on local resources.
But at this week’s Forsyth County Board of Commissioners meeting, members were reluctant to jump on the bandwagon. After Commissioner Dan Besse personally drafted a proposal for a six-month moratorium, County Attorney Gordon Watkins told the board the move was too legally risky.
“If you do want to go forward with a moratorium, you need to really think seriously about setting aside a contingency if we get sued on it," he said. "Because that's a real possibility.”
Watkins pointed to Chatham County, where a developer successfully challenged a moratorium imposed after its data center project was already underway. Besse pushed back, saying this measure would apply to new proposals only.
The Forsyth board appeared to agree with Watkins, voting 5-2 against the proposal. Besse and Commissioner Tonya McDaniel cast the only yes votes.