Speaker urges moratorium on hyperscale data centers as Cherryville project surfaces

At the meeting a resident urged the board to impose a moratorium on hyperscale data centers while the county considers zoning and environmental reviews.

Jonathan Roselle said he learned of a large Cherryville-area project from a local newspaper and warned that the scale—more than 1,000 acres reported in media and more than 20 residential parcels—could displace homeowners. He asked whether the county has any authority to require environmental studies, PILOTs, or other mitigations without zoning, and urged commissioners to consider a moratorium until the implications are clear.

Commissioners responded that some questions are speculative and that they had previously discussed but not approved a moratorium; one commissioner said they had voted against a moratorium at an earlier meeting and would have done so again. The public comment drew attention to the difference between municipal authority and county land-use control and highlighted a demand for clearer public information about proposed county projects.