Durham OKs data-centers pause. Why one city leader says it’s only a ‘first step.’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham is the first major city in the state to impose a data center ban.
- Dozens of speakers urged the city to go past 60 days.
- A legal limit prevents the city from extending without other government engagement.
The Durham City Council unanimously imposed a 60-day moratorium on new data centers Monday night, despite dozens of speakers who asked for a ban of two years or longer.
The moratorium was introduced by Councilman Nate Baker who pushed for the two-year ban, but said the 60-day pause was a “first step.” He thanked residents and advocacy groups who urged the City Council to place the matter on the meeting’s agenda.
“Many of you expected to see a 24-month moratorium when you came here this evening,” he said. “We see hyperscale data-centers are having detrimental impacts in communities across the state, but also across the United States, across the South ... We do not want these impacts in Durham.”
Durham is the first of the state’s major cities to impose a temporary moratorium on data center development. Bans have also been approved by Apex and Wendell in Wake County and by Chatham and Orange counties.
‘60 days is window dressing’
The public hearing saw a stream of speakers who warned that Durham is ill-equipped for the massive resource demands of modern data centers.
John Hargett, a northern Durham resident, said industry estimates for a single, large facility can reach 2.7 million gallons of water daily during peak summer heat.
“And we all know Durham summers are getting hotter with the consequences of the climate crisis that we did not ask for,” he said, adding that AI-generated music is filling spaces on the music platform Spotify. “The AI industry is sucking the lifeblood out of the arts.”
Mimi Kessler, a neighborhood advocate in Durham, said the moratorium should be “forever.”
“Sixty days is window dressing,” she said. “Durham does not need this to be a home of a data center with all of its impacts on environment and excessive water usage. We do not need the economic stimulus. We are struggling to fill the vacant jobs in Durham and [the demand for] housing for people moving here.”
Other speakers highlighted the potential for significant increases in utility bills, citing a projected 18% cost extraction by Duke Energy to accommodate industrial demand.
A technical limitation on time
Council members sided with residents but said current local regulations restricted their immediate options.
City Attorney Kimberly Rehberg clarified that under the city’s current Unified Development Ordinance, a 24-month moratorium would have required prior review by the Durham Planning Commission. The UDO generally limits development moratoriums to one year.
Regardless, Mayor Leo Williams said the city would be taking time to carefully review data center development. He agreed with residents, saying data centers are a “poor use of land” and do not bring many jobs to the area.
“We don’t have the space for it,” Williams said. “Nor do we want that in here. We have a housing crunch as it is already, and if these data centers and the people who own them are wealthy enough to have them, then they’re wealthy enough to build infrastructure in areas where it’s needed.”
Councilwoman Javiera Caballero agreed with Williams and said “we don’t always agree on development on this dais, but a data center is not housing.”
“A data center at the scale that we’re talking about, this is not to support local hospitals, healthcare,” she said. “It was never a doubt in my mind that there wasn’t going to be unanimous support for something like this [moratorium] on this council.”
Seeking alignment with Durham County
Williams suggested that he would support an indefinite ban on “megawatt data centers” and that any long-term strategy must be aligned with the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
Many data centers seek to locate in the county’s planning jurisdiction.
On Monday morning, the county commissioners discussed plans for a potential moratorium and public hearing.
Commissioner Nida Allam said she brought the item up for discussion, citing Gov. Josh Stein saying data centers are partly to blame for rising energy prices in the state.
“In Durham County, we don’t have any definitions or rules around data centers,” Allam said. “These aren’t the data centers of 10-15 years ago. These are the data centers that take up massive footprints, that consume large amounts of water, large amounts of electricity. ... As we move into this new realm of energy, we want to make sure Durham County residents are protected.”
The 60-day moratorium is now in effect in Durham as the city reviews possib;e next steps for a longer pause.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 4:57 PM.