New data center proposed for Uptown Charlotte property with nearly 100-year-old building

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — We’ve seen data center proposals all around the Queen City, in Mooresville, Statesville and Matthews, but none in the heart of Charlotte — until now.

“I think it’s a new type of model that I have never seen in the past, and I think it could become an example,” said Srijan Das, assistant professor of computer science at UNC Charlotte.

Digital Trade Street 2 LLC has submitted a plan to the city to knock down the building at 725 E. Trade Street in Uptown, which is about 100 years old, and turn it into something new.

The building known as the Court Arcade, right across from the District Attorney’s Office, appears to be vacant right now, but the space could soon become what’s known as a data center.

Think of it as the internet in a physical space.

“It houses the servers and systems that keep our businesses and hospitals and city operations running, when you store something in the cloud, it’s not floating in space, it lives in a data center,” said Charlotte City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera.

She says the proposal for the data center, which includes tearing down the existing surface parking lot, a two-story brick building, and a one-story block building and building a new four-story, 12 MW data center with a mechanical yard and a truck delivery driveway on East Fifth Street, does not require a change in zoning or a vote by Charlotte City Council, but it does require a review by city planning staff.

“We do need to make sure this facility operates responsibly, think about high efficiency investments in renewable energy source and just minimal impact to our grid,” said Ajmera.

Data centers require a lot of electricity and water for cooling the systems to operate.

“That’s kind of going to affect the residents in the area,” said Das.

Das is an assistant professor of computer science at UNC Charlotte, but he also lives in Uptown.

He’s excited about the opportunities that come with a data center, but wants city leaders and developers to do their homework.

“I would say it’s important to revisit the centers that are already in place, what are the potential risks that are associated with establishing such centers,” said Das.