Statesville planning board backs conditional rezoning for Compass Data Centers after contested public hearing

The Statesville Planning Board on Aug. 26 recommended approval of ZC25-13, a conditional rezoning and annexation request for a proposed Compass Data Centers campus on Stamey Farm Road, following a lengthy public hearing in which neighbors pressed officials on noise, air quality, fire risk and power and water demand.

Planning staff presented the request as a conditional rezoning to the City of Statesville Light Industrial Conditional Zoning (LICZ) district for roughly 350 acres made up of about eight parcels. Staff said the applicant offered conditions limiting uses to warehouses, public utilities, mini-storage and related accessory uses; agreed to perform a Traffic Impact Analysis; and offered expanded buffers (staff noted several adjacent parcels would see buffers increase from 30 to 50 feet). The staff packet included site plans showing five large campus buildings and stormwater detention ponds; staff recommended approval contingent on annexation and with a revision to the proposed language in condition #2 to require driveway and road improvements agreed by the city and NCDOT prior to site-plan approval.

Neighbors voiced a mix of opposition and support during three hours of public comment. Opponents raised health and safety concerns, citing diesel emissions from backup generators, potential lithium-battery fire risk, noise, light pollution and impacts on property values and wildlife. Pam Ford, an Iredell County resident, urged the board to deny annexation and described a hypothetical 500-megawatt demand, saying, “I implore each of you on the board, do some research, visit currently operational data centers, and wisely turn down the annexation of the Stamey Farm property for this type of use.” (Pam Ford, public comment.)

Compass representatives said the campus is designed to reduce many of the risks residents cited. Katie Hancock, Compass’s community-relations lead, said Compass historically uses air-side cooling rather than evaporative water cooling and emphasized compliance with local ordinances: “We don’t use water… since our founding… we’ve used air side cooling. No water.” Hancock also described sound limits scoped for the campus and said lighting would be downcast and limited to the secure perimeter. She added that the company is exploring hybrid cooling but that the company’s intent is to avoid heavy water usage. (Katie Hancock, applicant presentation.)

Brett Callard, senior vice president of land development for Compass, said the site’s proximity to long-haul fiber and a nearby Duke Energy transmission substation made it attractive for hyperscale development; he described the adjacent substation as having “upwards to 500 megawatts of total capacity” to support the campus. (Brett Callard, applicant presentation.)

Planning board members debated the tradeoffs between the city and county plans and public concerns before moving to a vote. A board member moved to approve the rezoning, finding it consistent with the city’s adopted plans and the 2019 and 2045 planning documents; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition in the meeting record. The recommendation is contingent on annexation and the applicant’s offered conditions, and staff will return a finalized consistency statement and the revised condition language for subsequent council consideration.

What’s next: The matter will proceed to City Council for the annexation and final rezoning decision; the council public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 15 according to staff comments during the hearing.