Developer outlines plan for 400-acre data center campus off Patterson Farm Road; commissioners seek more study on noise, water and timing

TracT, a land‑development company, told the Mooresville Town Board in a work session that it is pursuing a master‑planned 400‑acre data center campus off Patterson Farm Road and described steps the company says are under way to secure power, water and site infrastructure.

The plan TracT presented would keep the bulk of development inward on the property, with 150‑foot building setbacks, a 100‑foot perimeter buffer, multiple preserved areas (about 96 acres, TracT said) and a voluntary cap limiting impervious surface to 50 percent of the site. TracT also proposed limiting building heights near Patterson Farm Road to 65 feet within a quarter‑mile, 80 feet beyond that and a maximum 100‑foot height in other portions of the campus.

Why it matters: Town officials and residents said the proposal could bring significant tax revenue and jobs if a data center operator signs a lease, but they pressed presenters for more concrete answers about long‑term noise levels, sewer impacts, the schedule for power and the legal protections that would limit future developments on the site.

TracT’s team, including chief investment officer Graham Williams and utility and operations specialists, described the company’s approach as building “shovel‑ready” campuses that bring power, fiber, roads and utilities onto a site before an operator commits to build. Williams said TracT’s goal is to “take the front end of that development cycle in the locations that are suitable for data centers,” and to invest privately so local governments do not need to use public funds to make sites ready.

Power and timing: TracT said it has been coordinating with Duke Energy…