Board members of Forsyth County and the City of Winston-Salem in North Carolina are hashing out the details of a rezoning that may allow a new gas station to be built near a North Carolina data center. This is being opposed by a nearby Wells Fargo Bank, which is worried about the possibility of fuel tanks for a gas station being stored too close to their data centers' gas tanks.
The bank is worried that gas stations nearby could have a catastrophic effect on the data center, potentially taking it down for days or weeks as construction crews rebuild. The center contains mortgage information, financial documents and checking accounts for Wells Fargo.
The area is already zoned to be used for office space, but the worry is that a retail chain opening up will lower the security of the data center to an unsafe degree. However, the land owner is trying hard to sell the space at a reasonable price, and has found that most buyers aren't interested in using the site as office space.
Both sides are currently taking a two week break to negotiate before sending a new proposal to the zoning board.
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