Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 17, 2026

Franklin County, Virginia

Franklin County, Virginia officials announced Sunday that Project Flash, a proposed data center at Summit View Business Park, is no longer moving forward, news that drew cheers from more than 200 residents attending a community meeting on the project.

Controversial “Project Flash” will no longer move forward in Franklin County

The controversial “Project Flash” initiative in Franklin County will no longer move forward, Boone District Supervisor Mike Meredith confirmed to 10 News.

WSLS 10Ethan Ellis

Blackwater District Supervisor Mike Meredith said the county confirmed the project's cancellation the week prior, attributing it to a mix of factors including strained negotiations with developer Crusoe and community opposition. He left open the possibility that a different developer could approach the county later, but said Project Flash specifically had been dropped. The project came to light after the Franklin County Community Coalition obtained records through Virginia FOIA requests showing the county had been in negotiations with Crusoe since before November.

Sunday's gathering was the second community meeting ahead of Tuesday's Franklin County Board of Supervisors meeting, following an earlier session where more than 200 residents and over 40 public speakers voiced unanimous opposition to data centers.

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley Jr. is set to introduce an ordinance establishing a temporary moratorium on new data center development, co-sponsored by Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington and Councilwomen Jerri Green and Yolanda Cooper-Sutton.

The moratorium would give the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development time to study data centers' potential impact on infrastructure, utilities, the environment and neighborhoods, and to recommend permanent zoning regulations before additional projects move forward. Smiley said the city wants to support economic growth while addressing legitimate environmental and community concerns, and criticized past instances where expansion discussions moved forward without notifying elected officials or affected communities. He said the effort has drawn support from members of Memphis's business community who agree a measured approach now will position the city for sustainable growth later.

Anderson County, South Carolina

Anderson County, South Carolina Council is set to take final action Tuesday on a six-month moratorium on new data center applications, giving county officials time to develop regulations addressing the industry's effects on utilities, water, infrastructure and nearby property owners.

The data center vote is one of four public hearings and final measures on Tuesday's agenda, which also includes adoption of the Center Rock zoning map after Precinct voters backed zoning in an Aug. 11 referendum by a 452-95 margin, and a fee-in-lieu and special-source-credit agreement tied to a $28.2 million Arthrex expansion expected to create 63 full-time jobs. On first reading, council will also consider rezoning 91.65 acres on Dixon Road from industrial to single-family residential use, and vote on Project Palmetto, a proposed industrial project promising at least $215.56 million in investment and 217 jobs through a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement and inclusion in a joint Anderson-Greenville industrial park.

The meeting begins with an earlier 6 p.m. session recognizing the Savannah River National Scenic Byway and honoring Pendleton Recreation Association youth baseball teams, ahead of the regular 6:30 p.m. council meeting.

Mason, Michigan

Mason, Michigan City Council members continue weighing a proposed hyperscale data center in nearby Vevay Township, with a meeting Monday expected to revisit a citizen-initiated noise ordinance tied to the debate.

What Roth’s Watching: Jackson personal property ordinance, data center debate returns to Mason, and more

This week, Jackson city council will consider to personal property ordinance for public spaces. Meanwhile, the data center debate continues in Mason, and CATA could see changes to its services.

WKARAndrew Roth and Melorie Begay

Council members passed the stricter noise ordinance earlier this year after sustained anti-data center activism, doing so specifically to keep it off the ballot before voters could weigh in, with plans to later amend it on the city attorney's recommendation. Officials have concerns that the ordinance as written by citizens may be difficult to enforce and could expose the city to lawsuits, and are waiting on an outside review before making changes. At a previous meeting, council also outlined how potential revenue from the project would be used if it moves forward, including possible future millage rate reductions and additional pension contributions.

MasonDataCenterFacts.org

Mason’s Noise and Vibration Ordinance (Ordinance 272) was adopted June 15, 2026. We’re prepared to refer any attempt to weaken it to the voters.

Protect Our Community

Council meetings have remained a focal point for local data center opposition as the process continues to unfold across multiple fronts.

Wixom, Michigan

Wixom, Michigan's City Council voted 4-3 to advance revisions to the city's zoning rules for data centers, while its 180-day moratorium on data center projects, approved March 24, remains in effect.

The zoning push follows a proposal from Wixom Industrial One and St. Louis-based Sansone Group for a 54-acre data center complex at 30625 S. Wixom Road, calling for three buildings totaling more than 600,000 square feet. Mayor Patrick Beagle and council members Peter Behrmann, Tia Gronlund Fox and Nicole O'Dea supported advancing the changes, while Deputy Mayor Keenan Gottschall and council members Veronica Simmons and John Kennedy voted against it. The proposed rules would establish noise limits based on baseline measurements gathered by a consultant, alongside standards for where and how data centers could be built.

City officials say the moratorium period gives them time to revisit zoning before any project can move forward, addressing resident concerns over electricity demand, water use for cooling, noise and potential impacts on utility costs and neighborhood character. The proposal still needs further work before becoming law, and the moratorium will continue providing space for public input as the 54-acre project remains pending.

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Raleigh, North Carolina

A proposed 100,000-square-foot data center in southeast Raleigh will not move forward after the applicant withdrew its annexation request, city leaders confirmed.

The project, planned along Jones Sausage Road near residential neighborhoods, drew opposition from local residents and skepticism from several Raleigh City Council members. Charlotte-based Beacon Partners, which had sold the parcel under contract back in November 2025, said it is no longer involved with the project in any capacity and confirmed the purchaser withdrew the annexation application.

The identity of the prospective buyer behind the project remains unclear, and Raleigh officials haven't said whether a revised proposal could resurface in the future.

Crestview, Florida

Crestview, Florida's City Council voted 4-0 to instruct the city manager to draft an ordinance prohibiting data center development within city limits, a procedural step toward a potential ban rather than a final decision.

Florida Panhandle council weighs data center ban over land, water, and sewer pressures

Crestview officials have taken another step toward prohibiting new data center development, indicating the city may view the expanding industry as a poor match for its land-use priorities.

The Cool DownKim LaCapria

The issue was raised by Councilwoman Dusty Allison, who was absent from the meeting where staff presented findings on whether the city's land development code could be used to exclude data centers, drawing on similar ordinances from other Florida Panhandle communities. Mayor Pro Tem Doug Capps pointed to roughly 1,400 acres of mostly undeveloped land near the city's bypass corridor that could eventually require city water, sewer service or annexation, raising concerns about allocating limited utility capacity to a large industrial user rather than homes and small businesses. Councilman Sylvester Echols made the motion to direct the ordinance drafting, seconded by Councilman Frost, with Mayor JB Whitten confirming the city manager sought council approval to proceed.

No ban has been finalized, and the proposed ordinance will move through the city's standard process, drawing partly on comparable rules already adopted elsewhere in the Panhandle, before any final adoption.

Granbury, TX

Granbury residents are asking a Texas appeals court to revive a recall effort targeting the mayor and four city council members over their handling of the proposed Project Patriot AI data center campus.

Granbury residents sue to revive recall effort over data centers ahead of November elections

Granbury residents are asking a Fort Worth appeals court to order recall elections after the city rejected petitions targeting the mayor and four council members over the Project Patriot data center.

KERAEmmanuel Rivas Valenzuela

Organizers say they collected more than 5,000 signatures across five recall petitions, but the city rejected the petitions after verifying only 26 signatures, citing incomplete addresses and concerns that the allegations did not meet legal requirements. The recall petitions accuse city officials of violating open-meeting rules, improperly approving zoning and land entitlements for the roughly 2,000-acre Knox Ranch project, and failing to provide adequate public notice. An expedited court schedule could allow the recall elections to appear on the November ballot, further elevating data center transparency and local development decisions as major issues in Granbury’s upcoming elections.

Bayonne, New Jersey

Bayonne became the latest New Jersey municipality to ban data centers after the City Council unanimously approved the prohibition and Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski signed it on Aug. 13.

Mayor Nadrowski and City Council Approve Ordinance Prohibiting Data Centers in Bayonne

The ban follows months of resident and grassroots opposition to a proposed data center, with the issue becoming a major factor in the city’s May elections, when Ashe-Nadrowski and her council slate campaigned on banning the facilities and won. The move comes as opposition spreads elsewhere in the state, with Jersey City considering an ordinance that would prohibit data centers as the primary use of industrial property.

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Episode Title: AI DEBATE: What Will the World Actually Look Like in 2040? - #1138
Episode: Modern Wisdom

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