A one-acre tract near Chadbourn could soon be a repository for information from around the world.
Columbus County commissioners will be asked Monday to set a final public hearing on the proposed rezoning of a plot at Midway Road and Chadbourn Highway that would become home to a data storage facility. The property is currently zoned RA-20, and would be rezoned to IND-1 if approved.
Data centers, or data storage facilities, house and manage large amounts of digital information including servers and cloud memory. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud based business requires large amounts of storage and operating memory. Servers can be accessed from around the world.
IND-1 zoning allows for manufacturing and processing. Data centers typically do not produce smoke, fumes, dust or other contaminants.
Planning Director Kelsey Hammond is requesting the board schedule the public hearing for the March 16 board meeting.
