Updated at 7:23 am on Friday, March 6
The developer of New Hill Digital Campus is withdrawing its annexation and rezoning applications for the property that was set to house the proposed 300 MW data center.
This comes as "the Town continues its deliberations over zoning ordinance changes necessary to permit data center development within the Town's limits," said Michael Natelli, president of Natelli Holdings, in an email to WUNC News.
Natelli indicated that if, in the future, Apex does approve zoning changes that would allow data centers within town limits, then it's possible the project could be revisited.
The facility was set to be located in Apex off Old U.S. Highway One, near Duke Energy's Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant and the Western Lake Regional Water Reclamation Facility.
The project faced intense community backlash. The Protect Wake County Coalition has expressed concerns with several issues, including noise, air pollution and energy and water use. In a statement, members of the Coalition said they're glad to see this withdrawal.
"The withdrawal gives Apex an opportunity to slow down, put the right ordinances in place, and make sure the community is protected before any data center proposals move forward," said the Coalition. "This isn’t the end of the conversation."
Apex Town Council Member Terry Mahaffey said in a Substack post that he plans to propose "a one-year moratorium on any further applications, permits, or construction of data centers in Apex."
"This will give us the time we need to finish the work that we started... (and) to put firm rules in place to ensure that any future applicants not harm the health, the well-being, or the quality of life of any existing Apex resident," Mahaffey wrote.
In February, Chatham County approved a one-year temporary moratorium on the permitting of data centers, expressing similar sentiments of taking the time to properly investigate and plan ahead.
Mahaffey's proposal is expected at the Town Council's next meeting next week on Tuesday, March 10.
