Forsyth County commissioners say early reaction to a proposed data center in Rural Hall has been largely negative.
Developers submitted a preliminary plan for the four-building facility to the county’s zoning board last week, and commissioners have been hearing from residents ever since.
“I've probably gotten 10, 12 emails, somewhere in that range," says Board Chair Don Martin. "I'd say of those 10 or 12, there has been one in favor, and all the rest were opposed.”
Board member Dan Besse has gotten similar feedback. He notes the commission hasn’t received many details about the project so far. But months ago, when county leaders first raised the idea of recruiting data centers, he says the board’s reaction was mixed.
“They do bring enormous resource demand," he says. "They eat up a lot of potential land space which, in a geographically small county with a large and growing population like Forsyth, are needed for housing development, and for other competing industrial uses that bring in more jobs.”
Both board members say they’ll keep an open mind when reviewing the proposal. But the commission can’t formally weigh in on the matter until after the planning board discusses it — that meeting is scheduled for April 9.