Columbus County approves rezoning for one-acre Midway Road parcel for data storage facility

The Columbus County Board of Commissioners approved rezoning a one‑acre parcel on Midway Road to an IND‑1 industrial designation on March 16 to allow development of a data storage facility. The planning department told the board the applicant (AECOM) had requested the rezoning and that the Columbus County Planning Board had recommended approval on Feb. 24, 2026.

Landowner Dyle Gray spoke during the public hearing, saying the company ‘found Columbus County and found us’ and described the parcel’s location near the Midway/Chadbourne/Union Valley Road intersection. Gray said the company’s representative told him they wanted the one‑acre site and that he expects ‘very little traffic’ in and out of the building. “They found that parcel and sent me a packet,” Gray told the board.

Michael McIntyre of AECOM said the building would house server racks and explained the site’s function: “Inside the building is just server racks. So the fiber comes in. They have Ethernet connecting all the server racks, and then that boosts the signal and sends it down the line.” Planning staff also said the parcel is adjacent to property already zoned IND‑1.

After the public hearing and staff presentation, the board closed the hearing and voted to approve the rezoning. No contested vote tally was recorded in the transcript; the chair called the motion, and the board said, “Aye.”

The rezoning clears a procedural step for the applicant to pursue permits and development under the county’s industrial zoning standards. The planning department had recommended the change on the basis that it is adjacent to an existing industrial district and will serve as a node for telecommunications infrastructure.