Woodfin and Black Mountain move to limit data center development ahead of proposals

Woodfin and Black Mountain are trying to set the terms for data centers before a developer ever asks to build one. In both towns, officials have already moved to slow or shape the next wave of large server farms, AI infrastructure and cryptocurrency-related facilities rather than wait for a proposal to force the issue.

In Woodfin, the Town Council approved a 12-month moratorium on new data center development on May 19. Staff told council the town has only 37 parcels of heavy-industrial land and that the largest undeveloped parcel is about 2.6 acres, a reminder that space for a major facility is limited before the first site plan is even drawn. The pause is meant to give Woodfin time to update its land development ordinance and decide whether future projects should face standards for electricity demand, water consumption, noise, light pollution and strain on roads and utilities.

Black Mountain took a different first step on May 11. The Town Council held a public hearing on data centers, adopted zoning amendments tied to data processing centers and asked staff to draft language for a possible future moratorium. Planning staff have already outlined draft rules that would keep data processing facilities in the heavy-industrial district, cap building height at 35 feet and require a quarter-mile separation from residences, schools and places of worship. The draft would also call for 25 feet of vegetative buffering, acoustical studies and noise limits of 55 decibels during the day and 50 at night.

The timing matters in Black Mountain, where town leaders are balancing development pressure against a long list of local concerns. The town recap for the May 11 meeting says Black Mountain has about 41 capital projects underway, and staff also reviewed drought conditions and the town water supply that night. Those details help explain why water use and infrastructure demand are at the center of the debate, not side issues.

The broader pattern is spreading across Western North Carolina. Weaverville voted on April 27 to tighten zoning and classify crypto mining operations and related facilities as noxious uses. Mountain Xpress also reported that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council passed an indefinite moratorium on data centers and that Swain County was considering a temporary ban. For Buncombe County towns, the message is clear: the rules are being written now, before a high-impact industry arrives with demands that could outgrow local streets, water systems and land-use plans.