Jackson County Wants to Hear From You on Data Centers

By Jon Tharp, Broker  ·  November 2, 2026

Residents of Jackson County will get a chance to tell commissioners what they think about data centers on Nov. 3. The Board of Commissioners voted to hold a public hearing at 6:26 p.m. in room A 201 at the Justice and Administration Center on Grindstaff Cove Road, according to The Sylva Herald.

The county has had a one-year moratorium on data center development in place since August. The pause gives the Planning Department time to see whether the county's crypto mining rules could be expanded to cover data centers, to hear from taxpayers, and to study how other counties and municipalities have handled these facilities.

Why can't Jackson County just ban data centers?

Under state law, a county may not simply ban a business from opening within its jurisdiction. That is why regulations about how and where a data center may be developed are needed.

During the moratorium, Planning will research, take public comment and likely develop a policy. That policy would be open to public review through hearings before a proposed ordinance reaches commissioners for a vote. Commissioners could also let the moratorium expire without enacting any governing legislation.

Where do Jackson County commissioners stand?

The board is split. Chair Mark Letson, who was absent for the vote setting the hearing, favors data centers for the property tax revenue they could generate.

"I don't want to ban them totally because there are other counties making millions of dollars close to us," Letson said in July. "I think it's directing the best use to benefit both the citizens and the company and the county."

Commissioner John Smith believes expanding the crypto mining policy would be enough to regulate the facilities. Commissioner Jenny Hooper is against data centers entirely. "Everybody I've talked to don't want them, and that's the taxpayers," Hooper said during the July discussion.

Why are residents worried about data centers?

Water is a big part of it. Servers, especially AI servers, run hot, and AI data centers require tremendous amounts of water for cooling. Most of that water evaporates and can't be returned to the water supply, according to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Any water left is contaminated by high concentrations of salts and other pollutants.

Jennifer Cooper, director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River, said that loss is impactful to community health, but more so in areas where drought is already entrenched or whose economies depend on agriculture and outdoor recreation.

Noise is another concern. Data center sound is often compared to a dishwasher running 24 hours a day, though levels vary with the size of the facility and its equipment.

Then there is electricity. Data centers nationwide used 176 terawatt-hours in 2023, nearly what it takes to power all of Ireland, and that figure is expected to double or triple by 2028, according to the Lincoln Institute. Power companies could pass the costs of increased output and required system upgrades on to consumers.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Jackson County data center public hearing?

The hearing is Nov. 3 at 6:26 p.m. in room A 201 at the Justice and Administration Center on Grindstaff Cove Road.

Can Jackson County ban data centers?

Not outright. Under state law, a county may not simply ban a business from opening in its jurisdiction, so regulations about how and where a data center may be developed are needed.

Is there a data center moratorium in Jackson County?

Yes. A one-year moratorium on data center development was enacted in August to give the Planning Department time to examine the county's crypto mining policy, hear from taxpayers and study how other counties and municipalities regulate the facilities.