NEW KENT COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- New Kent County leaders rejected a proposed two-year moratorium last week that would have temporarily blocked new data centers from being built in the county for two years. The county's board of supervisors voted 3-2 against a proposed moratorium on data centers at a work session held the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 29. Amy Pearson, Thomas Evelyn and John Moyer voted against the measure, while Jordan Stewart and Ronald Stiers voted in favor. The moratorium would have paused consideration of new data center applications for two years while the county continued working on updates to the zoning ordinance, performance standards and other related protections. "Voting against the proposed two-year moratorium on data centers was not a vote to approve adata center," Pearson, who represents the Watkins and Cumberland parts of the county, wrote in a statement on Facebook. "The goal is not to make data centers easier to approve. The goal is to make sure that if one is ever proposed, New Kent has strong, legally defensible rules to protect its residents, water resources, rural character, roads, public services, and residents/taxpayers." Stewart, who represents the Eltham and Chickahominy River parts of New Kent and voted in favor of the moratorium, said the two-year pause would give the county enough time to develop thoughtful regulations. "As someone who has worked in both the legislative and executive branches, I know two years at the speed of government is a blink of an eye," Stewart said during Tuesday's meeting. "It takes a long time to get something thoughtful done. So, to me, putting a two-year moratorium is reasonable." Tuesday's vote follows the board of supervisors' unanimous decision on July 13 to direct county staff and the planning commission to discontinue development of the proposed Technology Overlay District as a framework for data center regulation. The board also declared a strong policy preference that no data center applications be filed or advanced while the county develops regulations and standards for data centers. A moratorium is temporary and carries legal uncertainty, Pearson said. She said citizens will have roughly 120 days to review the proposed ordinance and provide feedback before any public hearings or final action are taken on the proposed ordinance. Virginia is considered the data center capital of the world. For more on data centers across the state, click here. ...read more read less