BY STACIE LETT CAIN

Before their meeting was officially called to order on Monday, Mooresville town commissioners had already heard an earful about an issue that wasn’t even on the agenda.

Concerns about the massive data center, proposed for a 400-acre tract near Patterson Farm Road, prompted several residents to address the town board during the public comment period. A rezoning request for the project could come before commissioners in June. 

“There is a growing frustration in the community,” Scarlet Inman said. “Many residents have taken the time to reach out to you individually to voice their concerns. Unfortunately, many of you have not responded and they have not received any communication acknowledging their concerns. It makes it look like our voices, our lifestyle, doesn’t matter to you.”

On April 23, the Mooresville Planning Board voted 4-3 in support of rezoning of an estimated 400 acres of land owned by Teresa Earnhardt, widow of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The plan involves developing a large-scale data center campus on the land located near Patterson Farm Road and Rustic Road in eastern Mooresville.

The proposed home of the future Mooresville Technology Park is in a rural area, and the property owners want to keep it that way.

Sarah Deaton, who owns LP Commercial Properties with her husband, has land adjacent to the proposed development. Her plea, like many others who spoke, was to postpone consideration of the rezoning request until more information can be gathered about the impact such a development will have on the surrounding area.

“I am asking that you postpone placing this project on the agenda for next month so you can do additional due diligence as to its impact on the surrounding area,” she said to the Board. “The City of Pittsburgh, California was sued last year for approving a similar development including a data center without considering and appropriately planning for the environmental impact including its greenhouse emissions, water usage and its harm to wildlife in the area.”

In Prince William County, Va., the county is involved in litigation with large tech companies in a dispute over property taxes, Deaton added.

“The county is now spending $500,00 to pay outside lawyers and additional staff to deal with these lawsuits. Companies like Tract, the developer in the Mooresville project, come to small towns and cities who don’t have a lot of experience with these types of developments. They promote the benefits and highlight the amount of taxes that will be made and they sell these centers to data companies who then fight the amount of money they are supposed to pay. “

Those benefits, according to the development plan, include five data centers and a staggering 1.5 million square feet. It will bring approximately 195 technology jobs to the area with a proposed average salary of $100,000 per year.

Even with those benefits, someone in the technology business still believes it is a bad idea.

Darren Jones, a neighbor of the proposed project, has worked in the IT field for decades. Now commuting to Charlotte, he admits the benefits are there, but just not for this area.

“I may actually stand to benefit the most from this project,” he explained. “I commute now to Charlotte to work and that commute isn’t great. But we moved to this area for the character of the area. I’ve worked with both data and Cloud computing centers. The impact on the area in terms of traffic, and on the environment will be something we will deeply regret if we move forward with this. There is a reason these developments are usually located in industrial areas or remote locations where there is little residential development.

“The impact to the area is huge. We need to protect this slice of Iredell County and Mooresville and not allow this to proceed,” he added.

Not everyone who attended the meeting expressed opposition to the project. Others stressed the need to obtain more information before scheduling a hearing on the rezoning.

Playing a short video of an incessant humming for the Board, Renee Earnhardt explained that this was the only sound study presented to date.

“If you haven’t traveled to our neck of the woods you need to do so,” she advised. “Patterson Farm Road has and is functioning the way the One Mooresville plan intended, as rural residential homes, and we are thriving. We are not disturbing space around us, and we deserve to be protected.”

Earnhardt emphasized that too many towns are swayed by the promises of tax dollars and fail to see what and who they are sacrificing to get it.

“Don’t be a victim,” she warned. “I have seen seventh-grade science projects more deserving of a billion dollars than what they have presented so far. Where are the environmental studies? We are asking you to protect our way of living. This is the last slice of rural life here in southern Iredell County. I understand we have a right, as landowners, to do what is best for us with our land. But we also have a right to protect it.

“You have a right to ask questions. Set the bar high. Stand up for the people. Are we not worth it? Is your town and your reputation not worth it? Get the studies done before they are our problems. Not your problems, but our problems,” she added.

Howard Mergen, who was also critical of the lack information about the project, said the issue boiled down to protecting a lifestyle.

“I chose to live out here because I like to be in rural areas,” he explained. “I like that it gets dark and quiet here. During the day you can hear the birds chirping; at night you can see the stars. This data center is going to destroy that for us. They tell you it will be good, but of course they would. I would too if I wanted to sell you something. But before you schedule this for a vote come out and find out what the noise levels are and the light levels. You can set the bar here. Make it tough. Don’t just rely on what they are telling you. I know this is a big tax generator, but I want you to weigh all of the people that live out there and put some value on our lives, our lifestyle. I keep hearing it will help the schools and the town, but it won’t help me.”

Although the Board doesn’t interact with those speaking during public comment, Mayor Chris Carney said town officials have every intention of doing the necessary research before voting on the rezoning request.

“I will share with you that some of the different board members are going to pick a couple of data centers that we pick ourselves, not that Tract chooses, and go and like you said, see for ourselves what kind of noise and light comes off of it. We will share with you what we find. That way you all know what we know.”