ROCKINGHAM — In a rare split vote, a majority of the City Council voted to rezone property on Old Cheraw Highway for a proposed data center.
The vote, with Councilwoman Holly Howe being the only one against, came after a public hearing at the Sept. 8 meeting where the board heard from multiple residents — most of whom were against the measure.
At issue was the rezoning of 165 acres of land from high density residential to conditional light industrial.
The hearing started with Asst. City Manager John Massey giving an overview of the proposal, similar to what he presented at the August meeting.
Two tracts had previously been annexed and rezoned to high density residential in 2025 for a proposed housing development. One of those tracts belonged to state Rep. Ben Moss.
However, Massey said the city was approached earlier this year about changing plans after developers said the properties’ proximity to the water treatment plant was not ideal for builders.
Unlike traditional zoning, Massey explained that with conditional zoning, developers would be limited to the agreed-upon conditions.
John Massey gives an overview of the proposed data center.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Massey told the council that the landowners and developers, Terra Nexus, had made several adjustments to the plan, addressing some concerns that had been expressed prior to the meeting — and some that came up during the hearing.
One involved a cemetery located on the property.
The first speaker, Arthur Ingram, said in a prepared speech that a survey should be conducted to identify possible unmarked graves.
Massey said that the cemetery had been worked into the revised plan.
The cemetery will not be disturbed during construction and will be located outside of any security fencing; and "reasonable pedestrian access” will be maintained.
Massey also said that the company had agreed to:
According to Massey, the proposed data center project would be a $1.2 billion investment — with no incentives being offered by the city — and more than double the city’s current tax base, which would allow the city to lower the tax rate, provide additional services and make needed infrastructure improvements.
Kasey Moraveck, an associate attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, urged the council to deny the request, saying the proposed data center would “inflict harm on nearby residents, is speculative and uncertain, and is insufficiently regulated.”
In addition to health concerns, Moraveck said that nearby homeowners could see a loss in property values.
“It is unfair to place these economic and public health burdens on the neighborhoods adjacent to Terra Nexus’ proposed data center, where many residents already face high rates of chronic disease, limited access to healthcare, low incomes and poverty,” Moraveck added. “A project of such inherent uncertainty should not be permitted to move forward.”
The SELC also had a representative to oppose the air quality permits related to the Amazon project during a public hearing in July.
Russ Fincham asks for a denial or 60-day pause for a rezoning request.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Russ Finchum, who has been a vocal opponent of data centers at recent public meetings, started his time by presenting a petition to stop the data center — featuring the signatures of more than 270 residents — to Mayor John Hutchinson.
Rockingham resident November Coffey has also started an online petition calling for a 12-month moratorium on data center development in the county.
Finchum accused city leaders of trying to pass the data center with an “unofficial” non-disclosure agreement — which Councilman Bennett Deane was quick to refute.
“There has been nothing under the table, nothing hidden from the public,” Deane said. “We have been extremely transparent this entire process.”
Finchum also took issue with Massey’s assertion that no air quality permit would be required for the 192 backup diesel generators, that would be used only in emergencies and be run periodically for testing and maintenance during the hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday except on federally recognized holidays, per the conditions.
Finchum asked for an “outright denial” of the rezoning request or at least a 60-day pause for the public to review all available information.
Several speakers live in the nearby Meadowood subdivision — which is outside the city limits —including Perry Parks, who read a letter from his daughter, Piper.
Piper Parks currently lives in New York but maintains a part-time residence at his home and hopes to return to Richmond County in the future.
In her letter, Piper Parks asked for the vote to be postponed.
Another Meadowood resident, Pam Greene, said she wasn’t willing to risk her health and property values.
“What is it going to take for everybody to listen to us and say, ‘We do not want this’?” Green asked. “If you want it, put it in your backyard.”
Derek Howell expresses his support for a proposed data center and the positive impact it would have on the city.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
Only one speaker, Derek Howell, spoke in favor of the project, saying he wanted to focus on the positives.
“I don’t see many other … companies…trying to come in and bring growth to our county,” Howell said. “If these companies come here, they’re bringing money. IIf they want to come up here and they want to spend money on our kids, we need to let them.”
There were more than 20 speakers for the public hearing.
After the hearing, a representative of Terra Nexus addressed concerns about water usage.
He said the proposed data center won't be using city water for its closed-loop system, or discharging the used water into the city's system. Instead, he said the fresh water would be trucked in and the used water trucked out to a special filtration facility. The only city water would be used by the employees.
According to the representative, Terra Nexus will be paying Duke Energy for the upgraded infrastructure related to the project, which will require 460 megawatts by full build-out of the four buildings. The facility is expected to be complete in six years.
According to the Terra Nexus Ventures website, the company is also working on a similar data center project in Fayetteville, as well as an apartment complex in East Charlotte and a housing development in Great Falls, South Carolina.
Massey said the rezoning was recommended by the planning board.
Disclosure: RO co-publisher Kenny Melvin is chairman of the city's planning board.
Prior to the vote, council members each gave their views on the proposal.
Howe, along with fellow council members Debbie Wrenn and Denise Sullivan recently took a “field trip” to the town of Maiden in Catawba County to visit the existing Apple data center and another under construction.
Wrenn said there was a neighborhood near that site and the buffer zones were “much less” than the ones proposed by Terra Nexus.
“I do understand why people are afraid of what they don’t completely understand,” said Sullivan, relating a personal experience with trying to figure out the cause of her previous bout with breast cancer.
“That experience taught me something," Sullivan said.”When something scares you, especially when it involves our health, our families, or our homes, it’s human nature to look for an explanation and come up to connect it to something that may or may not really even be connected.”
Sullivan said she would like guarantees from the developers, “but there are no guarantees, really, in anything.” She went on to say that Maiden “was completely transformed by what Apple did for them.”
“My loyalty lies to the city of Rockingham … and I believe this could be a turning point for Rockingham,” Sullivan said. “There are still unknowns, and I respect those who see differently than me …and I would make the recommendation to rezone it.”
Councilwoman Holly Howe expresses her intent to vote against the rezoning request.
William R. Toler - Richmond Observer
With the motion on the floor — before it was officially seconded by Deane — Howe started discussion.
She said her husband works in data centers and they have opposing views.
“I keep thinking to myself, if the data center’s in Richmond Park, would we say yes to it — and I can’t say yes to it,” Howe said, which elicited applause from the audience.
“I want to stay here, I want to have $1.2 billion dollars added…that sounds great,” Howe continued. “But, there’s so many real people that it affects … right beside it, and I do think, as representatives of the citizens of Rockingham … I don’t see why there couldn’t be a pause … to gather information, if everybody’s really concerned with pollution from generators.
“It feels a bit rushed in my opinion and I’m just one opinion … that’s why there’s five of us,” Howe added. “I would love to see so many things in Rockingham … Obviously the quality of life here is important, but also I don’t want to live somewhere where there’s more added pollution.”
Deane said he’s heard numerous people say the project is “a no-brainer” for the city.
“We’ve looked at it for housing, and by golly, I think this is a much better-suited project for that property because housing would be a tremendous draw on city services, traffic, all sorts of issues,” Deane said.
Deane added that the city wants to make sure no harm is caused to the community and hold Terra Nexus accountable “that they bring what they tell us they’re bringing.
“I can’t say that I’ve worked with any project that has been so willing to do what we ask and to be cooperative … to try to make this a positive in our community,” Deane continued.
Deane then cited President Donald Trump saying that data centers are our future, which elicited shouts of “He’s a liar” from the crowd.
“We feel like we have been extremely transparent … and this can be a historic moment for Rockingham.”
Both Wrenn and Councilman Greg Leberth reiterated the desire to hold the developer responsible.
“This wasn’t ill-thought,” said Leberth. “This was a process with all the council members. We did our due diligence as far as educating ourselves as much as we could … I’m for it. I’m excited about what this might bring.
“But … in the same respect, we have to hold them accountable to the regulations that we put out there.”
The motion carried 4-1, with Mayor John Hutchinson thanking those concerned for their calls and emails as they filed out of the chamber.
