Planning board recommends conditional rezoning for 400‑acre data‑center campus; board also backs three smaller rezonings

The Mooresville Planning Board recommended that the Town Board approve a conditional rezoning for a 400‑acre site between Patterson Farm Road and Rustic Road to allow a master‑planned data‑center campus, and forwarded three other zoning items to the Town Board with recommendations.

The 4–3 recommendation in favor of conditional rezoning CC 2025‑04 came after a staff presentation, a lengthy applicant presentation and nearly 90 minutes of public comment, much of it from residents who live along Patterson Farm Road and Rustic Road. Planning staff and the applicant offered multiple conditions meant to limit visibility, preserve green areas and require traffic and noise mitigation before occupancy.

Staff presentation and key site conditions

Ms. Martin, a planning staff member, told the board the site is currently zoned Iredell County residential‑agricultural and lies mostly in the Back Creek/Slone (Sloane) Creek watershed, which ordinarily caps development at 30 percent impervious surface or roughly one dwelling unit per acre. She said Iredell County had granted the site potential to reach up to 70 percent impervious — but only if the land is rezoned for industrial use. Martin said staff found the proposal met most map‑amendment standards but noted the town’s future land‑use map designates the area as rural residential.

Applicant presentation: master‑planned campus and community benefits

Kristen Dean, Senior Director of Entitlements for Tract (the applicant), said the application is for a master‑planned data‑center campus and that the team is in an early entitlement phase. "This rezoning application is centered on bringing a master‑planned data center campus to this site," Dean said. She described typical industry benefits that informed the proposal, including capital investment and tax revenue for schools, the town and Iredell County; an expected build‑out job figure; and a large construction employment pulse during construction. Dean said the project team intends to preserve around one‑third of the property as undeveloped, with a roughly 52‑acre preservation tract south of Rustic Road.

Specific volunteered conditions described to the board included: - A 100‑foot perimeter buffer around the site (staff said the UDO standard would require 50 feet); - All buildings set at least 150 feet from property lines; - An opaque interior fence and additional screening intended to reduce visual and security impacts; - Preservation of a contiguous tract of roughly 50–52 acres near Rustic Road with a prohibition on development other than limited maintenance access; - Two primary gated access points on Patterson Farm Road, with the northernmost access conditioned to be emergency‑only at the request of adjacent neighbors, and Rustic Road limited to emergency and maintenance access to the preservation tract; - Traffic mitigations identified in the traffic‑impact analysis (TIA), including a signal at the Patterson Farm Road / NC‑3 (Caudle Creek Highway) intersection and turn‑lane work, to be completed before a first certificate of occupancy; and - A noise study tied to building permits with required mitigation if studies show exceedance of the town’s standards.

Engineering and utilities

Dan Brewer of Bowman Consulting, the project traffic engineer, said the traffic‑impact analysis covered multiple intersections and concluded that data centers typically generate less daily traffic than the residential alternative that county zoning could permit. Mr. Brewer said the developer will fund required intersection improvements, signal equipment and turn lanes. Brandon Smith, VP of Utility Development for the applicant, told the board that Duke Energy is the intended power supplier and that a study indicates the town should not experience adverse power impacts from the project.

Public comment and neighborhood concerns

Seven residents spoke during a public comment period focused on the proposal. Ellen Abercrombie, who lives at 388 Patterson Farm Road, said: "My family still actively farms this area," and urged more mitigation to protect rural character and wildlife. Renee Earnhardt, whose family owns property bordering the site, said there remain "a lot of gray area" about the long‑term effects, asking for clearer answers about future owners, tax incentives and noise exemptions for emergency generator use. Other neighbors raised concerns about noise from cooling systems, light pollution, traffic impacts on Highway 3 and Lynnwood Road, emergency service capacity, and long‑term land use if a data center were to be vacated in the future.

Board discussion and motions

Multiple board members pressed staff and the applicant on utilities, traffic, noise and long‑term land‑use consequences. At the close of debate the board considered two competing motions. Mr. Hooper moved to recommend denial, arguing the proposal was inconsistent with the town’s future land‑use designation for rural residential; that motion received three votes in favor and four against and therefore failed. Mr. Cole moved to recommend approval with the conditions offered by staff and the applicant; after clarification and a small amendment to the motion’s language, that motion passed 4–3.

Votes at a glance

- CC 2025‑04 (Technology Park / data‑center campus, 400 acres, Patterson Farm Road) — Recommendation to Town Board: APPROVE (4–3). Mover: Mr. Cole; second: Mr. Cortez. Conditions include perimeter buffers, building setbacks, preservation of roughly 50–52 acres, turn‑lane and signal mitigations before occupancy, a noise study tied to building permits, and limitations on Rustic Road access (emergency/maintenance) as proposed by the applicant and staff.

- CZ 2025‑07 (Courtyards at Millstone Ridge / Epcon senior‑housing, ~73.22 acres) — Recommendation to Town Board: APPROVE. Applicant committed to dedicating right‑of‑way for an East‑West Connector segment, deed‑restricted 55+ community design, architectural standards and a maximum of two stories for buildings; the board voted to recommend approval.

- CZ 2025‑05 (2918 Charlotte Highway, neighborhood‑scale retail, ~0.89 acre) — Recommendation to Town Board: APPROVE. Applicant agreed to conditions limiting building size to 2,500 sq ft, buffering and a right‑in/right‑out access configuration; the board recommended approval.

- RZ 2025‑02 (Yonge Street / Parker Avenue rezoning cleanup, ~29.91 acres) — Recommendation to Town Board: APPROVE (with caveat). Staff initiated rezoning to extinguish an older conditional district and reestablish base districts. The board voted to recommend approval but directed staff to obtain consent from an affected owner (1131 Yonge Street) before the Town Board hearing; if the owner does not consent, the other properties would continue through the process as described by staff.

What the recommendations mean and next steps

A Planning Board recommendation is advisory; the Town Board will hold its own public hearing and make final decisions on the rezoning requests. If the Town Board follows the Planning Board recommendation on the Technology Park rezoning, the conditional zoning and attached site‑specific conditions would become enforceable land‑use regulations and would run with the land. Several conditions specified by staff and the applicant — including the requirement to complete traffic mitigations and a noise study before occupancy — create future milestones that the town will enforce through permits.

Why this matters

The data‑center proposal illustrates competing priorities in fast‑growing parts of Mooresville: county watershed and town land‑use policies that favor low‑density rural residential development versus regional economic development interest in sites adjacent to major transmission lines and existing infrastructure. Residents and the applicant both described strong economic arguments and quality‑of‑life tradeoffs; the Planning Board’s split vote signals those same tensions will move to the Town Board proceeding.

Sources: Planning staff presentation, applicant presentation by Kristen Dean of Tract, traffic presentation by Dan Brewer (Bowman Consulting), public comment from seven residents, Planning Board discussion and recorded roll calls.