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Land Use Advisory Committee

Town of Holly Springs · Development Review Committee
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm

Advisory board meeting Data centers and large loads

Agenda document Full packet Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

Holly Springs' land use advisory committee held the second of its data center study sessions. The agenda carried nothing else but minutes and adjournment.

The study exists because the town cannot ban data centers. Staff told the committee that North Carolina General Statute 160D-107 does not allow a local government to prohibit them outright, so the questions in front of the committee are where they should be allowed and what standards should apply to limit their effects. The committee's recommendation goes to town council at the end of the series.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

Staff walked the committee through data center types, then through where they might fit on the future land use map and which existing zoning districts already suit them. The committee compared how neighbouring communities zone for data centers and discussed building setbacks, buffering and landscaping standards the unified development ordinance does not currently carry.

Noise took up a large part of the session. Staff explained the ways noise is measured, noted that data centers contain several sources of low-frequency noise, showed a decibel scale against common activities and equipment, and compared noise standards from surrounding towns. The committee discussed whether noise buffering needs its own treatment in the ordinance or the town code.

On traffic, staff said a data center would not likely trigger a traffic study: it generates about one trip per 1,000 square feet, comparable to a warehouse, so improvements would probably be limited to site driveways. Building facades were discussed as a contributor to community character.

Staff also set out what comes next. Central Pines Council of Governments, Duke Energy and Wake County Economic Development have been invited to speak to the committee at later meetings, and a community engagement portal on the town's website was due to go live within a day of the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 4:30. Eight of eleven members were present; the town manager, the development services director and the utilities and infrastructure director were absent.

How the votes went

Two motions, both unanimous: approval of the 7 July minutes as submitted, and adjournment. No vote was taken on the data center study, which was presented for discussion.

From the published minutes.

Speaking at this meeting

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Agenda items (1)

Minutes approval · 1
  1. 1 Approve July 7, 2026 LUAC Minutes
    Minutes approval Data centers and large loads
    Approval of the committee's July 7, 2026 meeting minutes.

Agenda changes

What moved between published versions of this agenda. Item numbers shift constantly as things are inserted, so only genuine additions and removals are listed.

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