Charlotte City Council Holds Hearing Tonight on Extending Data Center Moratorium Through October 2027
Charlotte is a city in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The Charlotte City Council will hold a public hearing on October 12 on whether to extend the citywide pause on new data center construction through October 11, 2027. Residents can sign up to speak through an online form on the city's website. The council is expected to vote on October 26, after the hearing.
The council passed a 150-day moratorium in June that expires November 5. An extension would continue the pause for an additional 11 months, giving staff time to study the issue and consider regulatory changes within the bounds of state law. Data centers are currently allowed by right in eight zoning districts, meaning they require no city approval; the moratorium stops developers from starting new projects, while facilities already underway can proceed.
Council members' concerns about the lack of oversight date back to 2023, but staff had not conducted a sweeping policy review until the moratorium. In August, Charlotte established a 19-person task force to study the issue and help craft recommendations. Deputy City Manager Alyson Craig told the council's transportation, planning, and development committee in September that staff needed more time to consult experts and work with external companies such as Duke Energy, which fall outside the city's control, on best practices, and to develop different standards for different types and sizes of data centers.
"This is one of the consequential policy decisions that we will be making," at-large Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera said, according to The Charlotte Observer. "This does not only impact environment. It affects our residents, our rate payers, our taxpayers, our pocket books, (and) most importantly, our qualities of life." Charlotte is among dozens of jurisdictions across North Carolina that have passed moratoriums.
Separately, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is advancing a "CLT Beyond" improvement plan. Axios Charlotte reported October 7 that the package, under the airport's Airline Use and Lease Agreement with American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, and United, includes new gates for Concourse C, a passenger tunnel connecting the main terminal to an expanded Concourse C, a renovated international arrivals area, and atrium and international gate expansions in preparation for the Fourth Parallel Runway projected to open in fall 2027, plus infrastructure and electrical upgrades. An airport spokesperson has not disclosed the total cost. The airport will present the plan publicly at the October 12 council meeting, with a council decision at a later session. CLT Beyond follows a 2024 $241 million Concourse A phase II expansion that added 10 gates.
(Compiled from Charlotte Newsroom via The Charlotte Observer, GovTech via TNS, and Axios Charlotte)
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Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，City Dweller 2 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权
