Orange enacts zoning changes to restrict hyperscale data centers

The Orange Town Council voted unanimously on Feb. 17, 2026 to amend the town’s zoning ordinance to shift data centers from “by-right” uses to a Special Use Permit (SUP) process and to prohibit them in certain districts.

• Main action (Feb. 17, 2026): The Town Council voted unanimously to require a Special Use Permit (SUP) for data centers in TAC, RC, and TI districts; prohibited data centers in the Traditional Town Center (TTC) and in all residential districts (RR, TR-L, TR-H); the Council also moved data centers to SUP in the Round Hill Traditional Neighborhood Development district.
• Background and PEC request: The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) urges the Town to adopt a 40,000-square-foot size cap to prohibit hyperscale facilities, to update definitions to distinguish hyperscale impacts and separate fossil-fuel primary power generation as a distinct use requiring its own SUP, and to adopt visual and noise standards; this follows a Dec. 2025 Orange County Board of Supervisors decision creating a floating Technology zoning district countywide.