Data center hate is snowballing, and construction setbacks in the first three months of 2026 have already exceeded last year’s, report finds

A woman wearing a hat and scarf holds a sign that says, "Don't let data centers drain us." (Credit: Erik McGregor/LightRocket—Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Natelli Investments, a large-scale development firm, withdrew its annexation and rezoning applications for a proposed data center in Wake County, NC. The campus was projected to be about 190 acres, with six buildings all about 70-feet tall. The developer cited zoning ordinance changes that pushed back the construction of the proposed 250-megawatt facility, but the scrapped plans also followed community protests, petitions, and participation in public meetings over concerns about the data center’s water use, air quality impacts, and increased costs.

“When they make infrastructure improvements, who does that cost go to? It doesn’t go to the developer,” resident Lorraine McAvoy told local media last year. “It goes to the people, the consumers of the utility.”