City confirms status of controversial east Charlotte data center hearing
A hearing for the controversial data center proposed for east Charlotte is delayed until at least November.
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The City Council put the process on hold with the passage of a 150-day moratorium on data center development this week, the city confirmed in an agenda for the council’s upcoming zoning meeting. The hearing was scheduled for Monday.
The American Tower Corporation has faced significant community pushback since revealing its plans for a 40,000-square-foot data center near Reedy Creek Nature Preserve off Hood Road. The development requires council approval to rezone a 58-acre parcel for data center use in a largely residential area. The corporation already owns the 58-acre parcel and operates a communications tower there.
If its rezoning petition is approved, the corporation would build what it described as a small-scale operation compared to large AI “hyperscalers” that most people associate with the term data center. A data processing facility would help deliver faster services to customers, the corporation said.
Residents and city leaders alike were concerned about a facility of its type, regardless of size, operating so close to homes and parks.
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The company had already deferred its hearing date multiple times amid mounting pressure. A public hearing is a required step in the rezoning process that gives the community an opportunity to speak for or against the proposed development.
The moratorium, which the City Council passed unanimously, will last until Nov. 5 but could be extended. City staff will use that time to learn more about the facilities and consider new rules within the confines of state law.
Projects that were already approved will continue unaffected by the moratorium. Others that have not yet been approved, like the proposed east Charlotte facility, will have to wait.
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