Data centers in Guilford County, North Carolina: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Guilford County is preparing for data centers that have not yet arrived. On September 17, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to hold a public hearing on October 15 on a moratorium of up to 180 days on new data center development, to give planners time to write rules. The county has no pending application for a new data center, Planning Director Leslie Bell told the board, but its zoning ordinance doesn't define one and would likely treat it as light industrial use. "I really like the idea for a pause, even though there is not a current application for a data center in Guilford County," said Commissioner Carly Cooke. Staff have proposed rules for size, height, setbacks, noise and lighting, plus decommissioning requirements for abandoned buildings.

The county has been here before. More than a decade ago, a proposed data center park in eastern Guilford drew an uproar from nearby residents before it was dropped. The county already hosts American Express's roughly 510,000-square-foot data center. Its one pending proposal has stalled: DC Blox, an Atlanta company, bought 14 acres in High Point's Piedmont Centre business park in 2021 for a data center of up to 54,000 square feet and 18 megawatts, a $305 million investment. "We fully expect them to develop the site. We're just unsure of their timeline," said Peter Bishop of the High Point Economic Development Corp.

Not everyone on the board sees data centers as a threat. "It's interesting, data centers are getting, in some ways, a bad rap," said Commissioner Pat Tillman, arguing that conditions can protect residents without rejecting the industry. Economic Development Director Heather Schaeffer told the board data centers bring large taxable investment and little demand on county services, but few permanent jobs, and can bring heavy power and water use, noise, heat and air quality problems. The October 15 hearing will decide whether the pause is adopted.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.