Key Environmental Contributes to Charlotte’s “People’s Ordinance” for Data Centers

During the summer of 2026, Key Environmental Consulting contributed subject matter expertise to the development of Charlotte’s “People’s Ordinance,” a community-informed proposal establishing stronger standards for responsible data center development. The effort was led by Action NC and developed to help protect neighborhoods, public infrastructure, natural resources, and public health as data center development expands across the Charlotte region.

KEC Principal, Kibri Everett, provided technical research and helped draft recommendations addressing noise and lighting, setbacks and buffering, air quality, operational heat, natural-resource protection, equipment routing, electronic waste, cumulative impacts, and tiered environmental review. The proposed framework also addresses energy and water use, community engagement, infrastructure demands, development transparency, and long-term monitoring.

This work demonstrates KEC’s ability to translate environmental research and community concerns into practical policy language and development standards. KEC is prepared to support local governments, planning agencies, and community organizations with data center impact studies, zoning and ordinance research, environmental review frameworks, responsible siting standards, and community engagement.

The full report is available on ActionNC’s website: https://actionnc.org/data-center-information-hub/