Late last month, the Greensboro City Council rejected a moratorium on new data centers in a 5-4 vote. The issue, contentious nationwide, was the first to so dramatically split the new council since its members took office in December.
At Monday night’s meeting, the council reconsidered. Its members voted unanimously to begin crafting an ordinance for a targeted 120-day moratorium on proposed data centers with electrical demand exceeding 10 megawatts.
“This has been a real collaborative effort,” said Hugh Holston, the at-large councilmember who put forward the motion to reconsider. “And that collaboration begins with you—those who are here in the audience and those who are residents of the city of Greensboro sharing what you know and how you know it, how you feel about data centers.”
As one of the council members on the prevailing side of the vote to reject a moratorium, Holston asked that the matter be reconsidered. Like most of the five-member majority who previously rejected a pause on new data centers, Holston said input from the community and a council work session on the issue made the difference in the end.
“As I said in the previous council meeting, there’s a lot of information out there,” Holston said. “And it’s incumbent upon us as the council members, as the stewards of this city, to make sure that we take care of this city. Whether it’s the residents, whether it’s the businesses, whether it’s the environment—it’s all of it.”
“I think with this collaborative effort, with this vote tonight, that this is not the ending,” Holston said. “It’s the beginning of the steps we’ll be taking.”
State law won’t allow a local government to ban data centers outright, council members continue to emphasize. But they’re discussing conditions for data centers of various wattages and will hold a special meeting, with time for public input, on August 17. The council is looking to vote to begin the 120-day moratorium at its regular meeting the next day.
Public sentiment against data centers has continued to build, both in North Carolina and nationwide. Last week Energy Storage Solutions announced they were pulling out of a proposed data center in Kingsboro in Eastern North Carolina after strong public pushback. The company had been looking at a 20 acre site and a 100 acre site. Its president said it will instead look to “friendlier communities.”
Smaller data centers already exist in Greensboro and have for years. Large, hyperscale data centers like Google’s in Lenoir are unlikely in more densely populated areas like Greensboro. The tension in council discussions has been in addressing concerns about size and impact without closing the city to more modest data operations that could be important to the future economy.
“I’m really proud of this council, y’all,” said District 3 Councilmember April Parker, praising the smaller working group of council members who have been working on the issue.
“This is how we grow like Greensboro,” Parker said. “I have heard from hundreds of folks in the last few weeks about data centers, and you all were very clear about where you stood on things. And I’m glad this decision echoes that.”
The council will look to balance concerns about historic harm and future goals, Parker said.
“Governing is difficult, and compromise isn’t easy,” said District 4 Councilmember Adam Marshall. “But compromise is important and is something that I think has been politically lost. So I’m glad that we’re here and that we’ve reached some compromise.”
The proposed moratorium is now more focused, Marshall said, both in terms of the wattage of data centers being discussed and the length of the moratorium itself. That’s something that concerned all those who previously voted down a moratorium—councilmembers Holston, Marshall, Tammi Thurm, Denise Roth, and Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter.
“Data centers are not one size fits all,” Marshall said. “They do not all have the same resource consumption requirements or environmental harms. This strikes a more reasonable balance between the state of our technology and economic needs and environmental and community member protections.”
Though the last election ushered in a council that is all Democrats and is the first majority Black council in the city’s history, the group is not monolithic. There are still differences to be navigated—in age, experience, race, socioeconomic status, parts of the city that they represent.
Crystal Black, who represents District 1, has been one of the strongest voices on council for a moratorium. The council used shared communication training to step back from public pressure and political friction, Black said, listening to each other to find a path forward.
“We didn’t get to this consensus by ignoring our disagreements,” Black said. “We got here by working right through them.”
The legal pause provided by a moratorium gives the council time to look closely at environmental data, local resources, and zoning rules, Black said.
“By focusing on policy rather than politics, we built a balanced solution,” Black said. “It keeps our economic momentum going while putting in place strong safeguards that our residents expect. However, this council is only part of the equation. We need your voice to get this right.”
Thurm, who represents District 5, also emphasized the public input she received and hopes will continue.
“Thank you for everybody who reached out to us to have honest dialogue on this issue,” said Thurm, who represents District 5. “I have reached out to a number of residents and had a similar kind of conversation that we had as a council. Saying, ‘This is why. This is my rationale.’ Those kinds of conversations are important.”
At-Large Councilmember Irving Allen agreed.
“I am proud of this council for the way we were able to move forward, the way we were able to stick with an issue, and grateful for the folks who showed leadership on this issue. I think all sides should be able to consider this as a win,” said Allen. “But also as wind in our sails for moving forward in dealing with issues, building trust with each other, with the community, and how to listen to the community.”
From here, council members said, further work sessions and community input opportunities will be important in getting the city’s ordinance right.
One such opportunity will happen next week. The Community Sustainability Council will hold a meeting Monday, where it will hear from environmental justice organizer Aidan Loretz. That meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at 2602 South Elm-Eugene Street.
