Data centers in Buncombe County, North Carolina: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

No large data center is proposed in Buncombe County, and new ones are on hold. Asheville's City Council unanimously adopted a one-year moratorium on June 23, 2026, running to June 23, 2027, while the city writes rules; Woodfin's council approved its own one-year pause on May 19, 2026. The county itself adopted a moratorium and then, in 2024, restricted where data centers can be built.

Asheville's land-use rules do not even define a data center. Data centers "are forever," Mayor Esther Manheimer said, "so I think we need to take a pause and make sure we put in measures that address all the concerns that we have as a community." City staff cited heavy loads on power and water and noise and heat that bother neighbors; planners will first map where data centers would clash least with homes, then draft standards such as buffers, soundproofing and daily water limits.

Water is tight. Asheville's system can supply about 40 million gallons a day against average demand of about 25 million, and running the treatment plants flat out for a big user would be "akin to continuously redlining a car engine," a city spokesperson said. County planning director Nathan Pennington doubts the mountains suit data centers: "Data centers look for cheap, flat land, two things that are rare in our area." The region's economic development coalition says no developer has approached it and it is not courting any.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.