Kerry Pennell and others were wearing red on Monday to send a message to Mooresville town commissioners: Stop the data center from coming to Mooresville.
Alice Oehler, another resident opposed to a planned data center in Mooresville, handed out stickers saying “NO DATA CENTER” at Monday night’s Mooresville Town Board of Commissioners meeting.
They were joined by dozens of others who spoke out against the company Tract’s proposal to build a data center on 400 acres of land along Patterson Farm Road and Coddle Creek Highway. The land is owned by Dale Earnhardt’s widow, Teresa Earnhardt.
If developed, the data center would be known as the Mooresville Technology Park.
The company is seeking a rezoning to allow for the data center. Officially, the request comes from Bowman Construction, which applied for the zoning change on behalf of Earnhardt Farms LLC. Teresa Earnhardt owns the LLC.
On Monday, the Mooresville Town Board of Commissioners voted to set a public hearing for the rezoning request for Sept. 15.
The meeting room was full on Monday as people spoke about the data center during the public comment period of the meeting.
Pennell and others said their focus was on how the data center would affect a rural corner of the town.
“We all understand that growth is coming to southern Iredell County. But what the people are asking for — and what this moment requires — is responsible growth,” Pennell said. “Growth that respects the land, honors the character of this community and doesn’t leapfrog ahead of the services.
“Patterson Farm Road is one of the last remaining areas of true rural residential character in our county. Don’t erase that with premature decisions that we all know cannot be undone. For once, allow the land to be used by right — as it is — and preserve what so many in this community value: open space, clean water, safe and manageable roads and a future that remains balanced and thoughtful.”
Another speaker, H.A. Mergen, said with recent drought conditions and notices from Duke Energy for users to limit their use in summer months, he questions how the local power grid and water supply would handle the needs of Tract’s data center.
“This is a question of legacy. You can be remembered for allowing this cancer into our community, or you can be remembered for listening to the community and removing the cancer,” Mergen said.
Ellen Abercrombie said her concerns ranged from the development’s effect on local wildlife to what the noise from generators on-site, which would need to run regularly, would have on residents like her. She was also concerned with effects it would have on nearby residential property values.
“This type of project is better suited to a more remote area, where it will not be seen and heard,” Abercrombie said.
Lynne Taylor, another speaker, said that, along with changing the nature of the area, she was concerned that the need for more power from Duke Energy or from generators at the proposed data center could create health issues for Mooresville residents.