P&Z starts building guardrails for data centers

With a two-year pause already in place, commissioners are turning their attention to the rules that could outlast it

6:04 p.m. Sept. 2, 2026

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County bought itself two years on data centers. The Planning and Zoning Commission is beginning to decide what to do with that time.

On Tuesday night, commissioners returned to the county’s data center moratorium and began sorting through what permanent regulations could look like once the temporary pause is gone – or if the county needs something stronger to fall back on before then.

Chairman Dexter Golden led the discussion, putting several possibilities on the table: keeping large data centers away from schools and downtown Lynchburg, setting noise limits, protecting neighboring property owners, examining water and power demands, and deciding where such facilities could – or could not – fit.

No ordinance was drafted, no locations were chosen, and no vote was taken.

But Golden made clear he does not want the commission to spend the moratorium simply watching the calendar.

“I would like some discussion on this because we keep bringing it up, and I know we have two years on it,” Golden said.

The pause was meant to buy time

The Metro Council gave final approval April 20 to a two-year moratorium covering new data centers and similar high-impact computing facilities.

The moratorium is in place through April 19, 2028, unless the Metro Council votes to lift it sooner or extend it as allowed under Tennessee law.

During that period, Moore County will stop accepting and processing new applications tied to those projects. That includes special use permits, conditional use permits, zoning map amendments, subdivision plats, and building permits, except for interior renovations that do not expand a facility’s capacity or change its exterior appearance. The pause would also apply to any other approvals needed to build, expand, or modify a data center, cryptocurrency mining facility, or similar high-impact computing operation.

The data center moratorium was intended to give county officials time to study concerns including power demand, water use, noise, location, and whether Moore County’s current zoning rules are equipped to handle facilities of that scale.

Golden said commissioners should not wait until somebody shows up with plans in hand. “We’re not writing anything for a data center because we think one’s coming,” he said.

Golden said commissioners have been advised that the county should not rely on the moratorium alone as its long-term protection, particularly if the pause were ever challenged.

“We would be left standing with nothing – no protection, no guardrails for how we want this done,” he said.

Schools, downtown, and neighboring property owners

Golden said one of his first preferences would be keeping data centers a meaningful distance from public schools.

He also questioned whether such facilities should be allowed close to downtown Lynchburg and its shopping and tourism areas.

“I like not putting anything next to our public schools,” Golden said. “I like not putting anything next to the city.”

He raised Highway 50 as another corridor commissioners may need to consider as they think through where heavier development could fit.

The commission also returned to a familiar land-use question: how to protect a property owner’s right to sell or develop land without leaving the neighbors to carry the consequences.

“We don’t want to take their rights away,” Golden said. “But we don’t want to take away the rights of the folks that are part of these communities.”

Finding room for heavier uses

Golden also floated whether Moore County should eventually identify an industrial area where heavier uses might make more sense.

“We don’t have an industrial park,” he said. “That might not be a thing, but that’s fine. It’s just throwing some ideas out there.”

Golden pointed toward the Jack Daniel’s South Bottling Plant past Woodards, saying the development is “almost its own park out there.”

He was not suggesting the site for a data center, but said its development pattern and any restrictions tied to it could give commissioners something local to study.

Golden stressed that the discussion was not about rezoning someone’s property.

“We’re not changing somebody’s area,” he said.

Virginia offers a model to study

Commissioners are also looking outside Tennessee for examples.

Golden circulated information on data center regulations used in Virginia, where local governments have tightened zoning rules around setbacks, noise, equipment, building design, and size.

For example, in Fairfax, Va., among the core regulations, data center buildings must be at least 200 feet from adjoining residential property, while generators and backup equipment must be set back 300 feet. Developers must also complete noise studies before and after construction, and cooling, ventilation, and power-generation equipment must be enclosed or screened to reduce noise and visual impact.

Those Virginia rules also call for stronger architectural standards and place size limits on by-right data center development depending on the zoning district. In areas served by Metro transit, facilities must also remain at least one mile from a station entrance.

Noise drew particular interest, with Golden saying he favored a firm decibel limit.

“I’m all for the noise limits to make sure that we have a certain decibel level,” he said.

Who pays for the power?

Board member Jim Crawford turned the discussion to electricity – and whether local customers could wind up paying more if a large data center came to Moore County.

“Is the power supply going to cause rates in this area to go up?” Crawford asked. “Is there something that we can look at that would keep that from happening?”

Water brought its own set of questions.

Golden said he did not believe Moore County’s existing water supply could simply absorb the needs of a large data center without some other arrangement.

Commissioners discussed closed-loop cooling systems that can reuse water rather than continually drawing from a public system. Golden said a facility using that setup might be able to purchase an initial amount of water and keep it circulating for cooling.

Plenty still left to settle

Building size could also become part of the county’s rules.

Golden raised the question of whether Moore County could limit the footprint or overall size of a data center, citing 5,000 square feet as an example commissioners could ask about.

He quickly added that any such restriction would need legal review. “If the lawyer says we can’t do it, we can’t do it,” Golden said.

Commissioners plan to keep studying other communities’ rules and ask County Attorney Bill Rieder which restrictions Moore County can legally enforce.

Golden said he plans to send commissioners additional material before the issue returns next month.

The moratorium stopped the clock on new applications.

Now P&Z is starting to write the rules for when that clock starts again.