ROCKINGHAM — Several commissioners took the opportunity to address some of the concerns expressed by residents at Tuesday evening’s meeting.
Chairman Jeff Smart, Vice Chairman Jason Gainey and Commissioner Andy Grooms all thanked the speakers for taking part in the meeting.
“The commissioners up here, we recognize your passion, we do, I respect it,” Smart said directly after the public forum.
Among the concerns was the recent sale of more than 400 acres on County Home Road to a data center company, which was mentioned by several speakers, including Steve Coulthard.
Coulthard said his family has lived on County Home Road for seven decades, and that several other neighbors had been on their land for more than 50 years.
“We trusted the people we voted into these seats to protect our homes, our jobs and our way of life,” Coulthard said. “But right now, we feel completely abandoned by them.”
Steve Coulthard tells commissioners why he opposes a data center on County Home Road.
According to Coulthard, the plan for the site near his home includes six buildings and a power substation.
Coulthard pointed out that the property is across from the former Ninth Grade Academy property, which will be the temporary home of L.J. Bell Elementary before becoming the new site of Monroe Avenue Elementary.
“So our elementary kids will be going to school every day right across from this massive industrial campus,” Coulthard said, expressing concerns about water and power usage, and the elimination of jobs due to artificial intelligence.
“This development will mean extreme noise, air and possible water pollution,” Coulthard continued, holding back tears. “It will destroy our quality of life, our very way of life. We are not going to sit back and watch our 70-year heritage get paved over by server grids.”
In his plea, Coulthard asked for a six-month moratorium on data center development. Others in the county are asking for a full year before making any other approvals.
“If you choose big tech corporations over the lifelong residents who trusted you, we will simply band together and vote you out of office at the next election,” Coulthard concluded.
Smart addressed that issue, clarifying that it was a purchase between two private entities and that nothing regarding that property “has come across our desk.”
“It may in the future, and we’ve heard what you said tonight, and I take it to heart and I’m sure the other commissioners do as well,” Smart said.
The chairman went on to say that the land is part of the old Pine Hills industrial development, adding that there other industries down the road in the same park. Those include Plastek, Impact Plastics and Trinity Manufacturing.
“The county did not own that land and it was sold privately,” Smart continued. “There was nothing any of us up here could do to stop the sale of that land.”
Commissioner Andy Grooms tells the public he opposes the development of any new data centers in the county.
Later in the meeting, Grooms said he agreed with several residents, adding, “I don’t want any more (data centers).”
Grooms also pointed out that the property is already zoned for heavy industry, which eliminates the county’s “ace in the hole” for using zoning to prevent development.
“I think there are a few things that we could do to … give them a difficult decision to make, but outright preventing it at this point is going to cause the county nothing but a lawsuit,” Grooms said.
When it comes to a possible third data center site on Old Cheraw Highway, Grooms said that would be an issue to take up with the city of Rockingham.
County GIS records show that just over 165 acres of property — including a tract now formerly owned by state Rep. Ben Moss, R-Richmond — were sold in June to Terra Nexus Land Fund I, LLC.
The registered agent is listed as Community Renewal Solutions, LLC, with an address of 2337 Providence Creek Lane in Charlotte, according to records with the N.C. Secretary of State. A search of that address appears to show that it is at the end of a cul-de-sac in a residential area, and it appears the property is blurred out on a Google street view map.
Last year, the Rockingham City Council annexed the property and rezoned it from rural residential to high-density residential. At the time, the property was being considered for a housing development.
“That would be their decision, if they choose to take that path and rezone it and go that route,” Grooms said.
Going back to the site on County Home Road, Grooms the land is “nowhere near being able to support a data center.”
“Unless somebody drops a billion dollars … in the next six months, you’re not going to see any activity out there besides maybe some core drilling,” Grooms said.
Grooms concluded by saying he stands behind his decision on Amazon “until I’m proved wrong.”
“I hope that we can lower the taxes on y’all and bring some great things to Richmond County.”
After thanking residents for their participation, Gainey addressed comments questioning the integrity of the commissioners
“I am willing to say that every person on this board has done their very best to make the best decisions that we can, based on the information that we have available to us, for the future of our citizens,” Gainey said. “Sometimes that’s in favor of your opinion, sometimes it’s not. And sometimes information comes out after the fact and we go back and review and say, ‘You know what, I wish I would have made a different decision.’”
Gainey said he’s “hoping and praying” that Amazon will “bring and restore” what the county lost with textiles, “because we lost a lot.”
Commissioner Justin Dawkins tells meeting attendees that he will not support any more incentive agreements for data centers.
Commissioner Justin Dawkins noted that the board’s legal authority with economic development centers on zoning and incentive packages, unless the county owns the land.
In the case of Amazon, the county owned the land, which was already properly zoned, and the board initiated an economic incentive package, Dawkins said, adding “those are the things we have control over.”
Dawkins continued, saying there will be “little to no support” in future incentive packages from the board. Other companies, he said, “are going to pay their way when they come into Richmond County.”
Although the county did approve one for Amazon, Dawkins said that Amazon is paying for its own infrastructure and services.
“They are working on their own — working with government, working with Duke Energy — to make sure that they are paying their way and there’s not going to be a strain on our infrastructure,” Dawkins said. “Can I say that 100 percent? No.
“But every bit of evidence we’ve seen shows that they are doing their part and then some, whereas other folks that have approached us … were not going to present that same type of offer, which is why our economic development group chose to go with Amazon.”
Dawkins concluded by saying he would not support another incentive package for a data center.
Like his fellow board members, Commissioner Jamie Gathings said he stands by the Amazon decision and would do it again.
Commissioner Jamie Gathings explains why he supported the Amazon project.
“I want to see some money in this county,” Gathings said. “We can take this money and build it up … I want to see infrastructure, I want to see more sheriff’s (deputies) so we can combat the drugs in East Rockingham. I want to see us cleaning up East Rockingham.”
Part of that infrastructure, Gathings continued, includes water lines to Derby — the fire department there has to drive to Hoffman to fill its tankers.
Gathings also said he wanted to see more transparency.
“I’m all about let’s lay everything out on the table,” Gathings said. “I don’t like hiding stuff … let’s lay it out to the folks and put it out there and show you what we’re doing.
“And anybody that knows me knows that if any one of these commissioners … or anybody on that side there (referring to the administration) gets their pockets lined, Jamie will call it out, I promise you.”
Gathings closed by noting that Richmond is a poor county. The N.C. Department of Commerce ranks Richmond — and Robeson — as the seventh most economically distressed of the state’s 100 counties.
“We’re hurting. We need money. Where else are we going to get it? …So we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” Gathings said. “But we’ll make sure … that if something don’t go right, I’ll bring it out.”
