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ORD-202 &010IJla ) 41"Igf/50 Attachment 1 <br /> AN ORDINANCE IMPOSING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS FOR LARGE <br /> SCALE DATA CENTERS AND RELATED HIGH -IMPACT FACILITIES IN ORANGE COUNTY. <br /> WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Commissioners (the " Board " ) is responsible for promoting the <br /> health, safety, and general welfare of the County ' s residents; and <br /> WHEREAS, North Carolina General Statute § 160D407 authorizes local governments to adopt temporary <br /> moratoria on development approvals under certain conditions; and <br /> WHEREAS, the Board has observed a recent increase in inquiries and potential applications for high - <br /> impact facilities, specifically large scale data centers and similar operations, within the unincorporated <br /> areas of the County; and <br /> WHEREAS, these types of facilities present unique challenges and potential impacts not adequately <br /> addressed by the County ' s current Unified Development Ordinance ( UDO ) or zoning regulations, <br /> including but not limited to : <br /> • Extremely high electricity consumption and strain on existing utility infrastructure ; <br /> • Significant noise generation from cooling systems and backup generators, affecting adjacent <br /> residential areas and general quality of life; <br /> • Substantial water usage for cooling purposes; <br /> • Potential environmental impacts, including hazardous materials and electronic waste disposal ; and <br /> • Land use compatibility concerns, including in rural or agriculturally zoned districts; and <br /> WHEREAS, the County ' s existing regulations were not developed with these specific types of high - impact <br /> uses in mind , and the County needs time to develop appropriate, comprehensive standards to ensure <br /> that any future development of such facilities is consistent with the County ' s long-term land use plan <br /> and protects the public interest; and <br /> WHEREAS, the Board has considered alternative courses of action, such as relying on existing general <br /> use permits or on -the -spot zoning amendments, but determined these were inadequate because they <br /> lack the specific performance standards ( e . g . , noise limits, utility capacity requirements, setbacks ) <br /> needed to mitigate the unique impacts of data centers effectively; and <br /> WHEREAS, a temporary moratorium on accepting and processing new applications for such facilities is a <br /> reasonable and necessary measure to allow County staff and the Planning Board sufficient time to study <br /> the issues, engage with stakeholders, and draft appropriate amendments to the UDO ; <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Orange County Board of Commissioners : <br /> Section 1 . Moratorium Imposed <br /> A temporary moratorium is hereby imposed for a period of one ( 1 ) year from the effective date of this <br /> Ordinance . During this period , the County shall not accept, process, or approve any applications for the <br /> following development approvals : <br /> • Special Use Permits; <br /> • Conditional Zoning Permits; <br /> • Zoning Map Amendments ( rezoning requests); <br /> • Building Permits ( except for interior renovations that do not expand capacity or impact <br />