9-30-2026 Data Center Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

The Greenwood County Data Center Ad Hoc Committee held an organizational meeting on September 30, 2026. The committee unanimously elected Steve Coleman as chair and discussed its role in developing recommendations for the Planning Commission and County Council on whether data centers are appropriate in the county and, if so, what zoning and operating regulations should apply. County staff emphasized that the committee is a public body subject to open-meeting requirements. Members discussed public comment, meeting schedules, and using the existing ordinance and topic list as a framework for its review; no final schedule was set. The moratorium was described as lasting 12 months, through July 21, though the year was not clear in the transcript.

The committee identified water and sewer as the likely first topic for a future meeting, with power and noise among the other subjects for review. Staff said they could arrange expert presentations, including from local utilities, and asked the committee to identify focused questions in advance. Members also discussed possible future recommendations concerning data-center zoning, including whether to exclude data centers or establish categories and requirements based on facility size. No contracts, purchases, budget allocations, or other procurement actions were identified.