Chowan County residents will have an opportunity to weigh in on a proposed one-year pause on development approvals for data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities during a public hearing Monday, Nov. 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Public Safety Center, 305 W. Freemason St.
The Chowan County Board of Commissioners will review and consider action on the proposed moratorium, which would apply to unincorporated areas of the county. If adopted as drafted, it would take effect Nov. 23, 2026, and continue through Nov. 23, 2027, unless commissioners terminate, extend or modify it in accordance with state law.
The proposal follows what the draft ordinance describes as recent interest, requests and potential applications involving data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations. The draft does not identify a particular company or proposed site.
County officials would use the pause to study the facilities’ potential effects and develop land use standards addressing energy demand, water consumption, noise and compatibility with surrounding properties.
According to the draft, the county’s existing regulations were not written with these uses in mind. Among the concerns outlined are heavy electricity consumption and strain on utility infrastructure, noise from cooling equipment and backup generators, substantial water needs for cooling, hazardous material storage and electronic waste disposal.
The proposal also raises questions about whether such facilities would be compatible with rural or agriculturally zoned areas.
During the moratorium, the county would not accept, process or approve applications for special use permits, conditional zoning permits, rezoning requests, building permits or other required development approvals for covered facilities. The restriction would apply to their establishment, construction, alteration or expansion.
The draft includes an exemption for development that received a valid approval before the ordinance’s effective date, as specified in the proposal’s reference to state law.
A phased work schedule would guide the county’s review. During the first four months, county officials would study energy, water, noise and land use impacts in consultation with local utility providers and the UNC School of Government.
Drafting proposed regulations would follow during months four through six. Those standards could address appropriate zoning districts, setbacks, noise limits and utility capacity requirements.
Public workshops and Planning Board meetings would take place during months six through 10 to review the proposed changes and gather community input. In the final phase, the Planning Board would make a recommendation to commissioners, who would hold the necessary public hearings before considering adoption.
The draft states that relying on existing general or special use permits would be inadequate because current regulations lack performance standards tailored to these facilities.
The Nov. 23 hearing is open to the public, and the county’s notice encourages interested residents to attend.
