TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Dr. Douglas Hewett, City Manager
FROM: Dr. Andrew Mansell, Senior Assistant to the City Manager
DATE: August 3, 2026
RE:Title
Data Center Educational Presentations: Dr. Ben Rachunok (NC State University), David Payne (NC Department of Environmental Quality), and Clarence Briggs (Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc.)
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COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
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Relationship To Strategic Plan:
This item supports the Strategic Plan goal of a Diverse and Viable Economy by ensuring land use policy for data centers is informed by independent research, state regulatory expertise, and local industry experience.
Executive Summary:
As part of Council’s educational process on data centers, three presenters will address Council: Dr. Ben Rachunok of North Carolina State University, who leads the statewide data center study funded by the North Carolina General Assembly; David Payne, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Economic Development at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ); and Clarence Briggs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fayetteville-based Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc. (AIT). Together the presentations provide academic, state regulatory, and local industry perspectives ahead of the August 25, 2026 expiration of the 120-day stay on the draft data center text amendments. No action is requested.
Background:
In February 2026, staff presented proposed text amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) introducing data centers as a distinct land use. Council discussed the amendments at a March work session and in April approved a 120-day stay to allow additional study before considering any ordinance changes. Since then, Council Members and staff have toured operating facilities, including AIT’s downtown Fayetteville facility and data centers in the Raleigh area, and a site visit to hyperscale facilities in Loudoun County, Virginia was arranged for late July. These presentations complete the educational process before Council considers next steps on the draft amendments.
Issues/Analysis:
Dr. Rachunok leads the state’s independent examination of data center development and will present preliminary findings at the August 3 work session, addressing infrastructure, water resources, energy demand, and community impacts.
Mr. Payne leads department-wide planning and permitting coordination on major economic development projects at DEQ. His presentation is expected to provide an overview of the Department’s divisions, regulatory responsibilities, and permitting processes, and how state environmental regulation intersects with large industrial development, including data centers.
Mr. Briggs founded AIT in Fayetteville in 1995 as a garage startup and built it into a privately held infrastructure and hosting company, twice named to the Inc. 500, that operated a 93,000 square foot data center in downtown Fayetteville. A U.S. Army veteran, he brings three decades of industry experience and direct knowledge of operating this type of facility locally.
The specific content and scope of each presentation will be at the presenter’s discretion. The presentations are informational and are not tied to any pending application or ordinance. Council Members will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Budget Impact:
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Options:
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Recommended Action::Recommended Action
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Attachments:
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