CHARLOTTE — A new data center planned for Uptown Charlotte is moving ahead without a public vote or discussion, a process Councilmember LaWana Mayfield says needs to change. The project, allowed “by right” under the city’s development rules, is sparking concerns about environmental impact and transparency.
Data center development is booming across the country, and it can seem like proposals are cropping up across the Charlotte area.
Announced projects in Mooresville and Matthews were recently canceled due to public backlash.
Now, there is the Uptown project that is forging ahead.
The building on East Trade Street is set to be demolished so developers can build a data center in its place.
Mayfield said she found out about the plans the same time the public did.
“This current development is by right, meaning it doesn’t come before council. There’s no discussion. There’s no vote on it,” she said.
Mayfield said it comes down to the city’s Unified Development Ordinance, which allows certain developments an easier path to building in certain locations.
She said that when council worked on the latest UDO, data centers weren’t a topic of discussion.
“Think about 2011. What you consider a data center is very different than 2025 with the impact of artificial intelligence,” Mayfield said.
There are already data centers in Uptown, but Mayfield wants proposals to go before council, because data centers built nowadays would require far more resources than those built years ago.
“We don’t have all the details as far as what type of data center it is,” she said. “Does it need access to water? Are you going to build it in a manner that’s going to protect the environment?”
Mayfield said that’s the biggest concern she’s hearing right now.
Locals are calling and emailing wondering how much water it’s going to use. Will it use generators? Will it impact energy bills?
Council didn’t get to ask those questions this time, but Mayfield hopes a change to the UDO might help in the future.
“We need to start reviewing some of our policy language to make sure that that language is keeping up with how fast society is growing and we’re moving,” Mayfield said.
She has met with the city manager about changing the way data centers are treated in the UDO.
Mayfeild is working to get the issue before council before the end of the year.
VIDEO: ‘Against it’: Developer withdraws Matthews data center plans amid public opposition
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