Town Council lengthened its data center moratorium from 120 days to two years. Planners now want a special exception with water, noise and distance rules.

Mount Pleasant will not accept or approve applications for large data centers for two years. Town Council had proposed a 120-day pause, then voted to make it two years before adopting it.

The vote came at the council meeting Oct. 13. The draft minutes of that meeting, posted this week, record how it happened.

How the vote went

Ordinance 26045 came to council for final reading as a 120-day moratorium. It stops the town from accepting, processing or approving applications and permits for data centers.

Council member Jake Rambo moved to make the term two years. The amendment passed 6-2:

  • For: council members Daniel Brownstein, Laura Hyatt, Jake Rambo, Mike Tinkey, Alex Crosby and John Iacofano
  • Against: council member Kathryn Whitaker and Mayor Pro Tem Howard Chapman

The amended ordinance then passed on final reading with only Whitaker opposed, the minutes say. Mayor Will Haynie was absent; Chapman presided.

What it covers

The town’s corporation counsel told council the pause applies to significant, large-scale data centers as a primary use. Brownstein described that as anything over one megawatt, according to the minutes.

Tinkey backed the longer term but warned of unintended effects on small data centers. He cited a Mount Pleasant Waterworks facility that runs on solar power, and the ones the town and local businesses rely on.

Other points from the discussion:

  • The moratorium is meant to hold applications until council finishes changing the zoning rules.
  • Council can end it early.
  • Staff said no hyperscale data center was known to have shown interest in locating in town.

The draft ordinance says data centers “have been determined to cause excessive noise and create significant demand for resources such as water and electricity.”

During public comment, Taylor Allred of the Coastal Conservation League urged council to adopt the pause. He said 13 South Carolina county councils had already adopted moratoriums.

What planners want next

The Planning Commission took up data center zoning Oct. 21. The draft minutes of that meeting show the commission agreed that a data center should need a special exception, with specific criteria written into the code.

Commissioners raised these points for the criteria:

  • whether the town can set water or utility requirements
  • noise
  • extra distance requirements, which staff said could be considered
  • a clearer definition of a data center as an ancillary use
  • lost revenue, because data centers are largely unstaffed

One commissioner said the town does not lend itself to large data centers, the minutes say. Nothing was voted on. Staff will bring a proposed zoning change back to the commission.

What it means for you

  • Nobody can win approval for a large data center in Mount Pleasant until the pause ends or council lifts it.
  • The rules that follow will go through the Planning Commission and then two readings at Town Council. Both bodies take public comment.
  • Small server rooms that serve a business or the water utility are not the target, according to the council discussion.

Planning Commission meetings and town zoning cases are listed on our building permits and zoning guide. Our preview of the Oct. 21 meeting has the other items on that agenda and how they were decided.