Rowan County commissioners deny ‘data center deal’ as residents press water, noise and health concerns

The Rowan County Commission faced a packed public-comment session on March 16 after residents raised alarms about a proposed industrial project on Long Ferry Road described by several speakers as a large data center.

Chair Greg, who said he lives on Long Ferry Road, told the crowd "there is no data center deal" and that no data centers had made offers to the county; he urged patience and promised the county would post a consolidated timeline and all public notices online. "We have made no offers to any data centers," Greg said, adding that county staff would require detailed studies and commitments before any decision would be made.

Why it matters: Speakers said the siting and scale of the project could affect drinking-water supplies, property values and public health in a largely agricultural area. If a data center with open-loop cooling were built, residents fear discharges and particulate or noise impacts; commissioners said they would need technical documentation before allowing construction or new permits.

Residents’ concerns and examples: Several commenters described specific local impacts. Samantha Ring, a former nurse practitioner, warned of health effects from constant low- and high-frequency noise and possible particulate emissions and asked the commission to prioritize health over profit. "You can vote for this project, and you will have a legacy of selling out your constituents," Ring said.

Other speakers pressed technical and fiscal questions. Mark Ortiz presented a rough site-scale estimate and suggested the facility could demand “anywhere from 2 to 500 megawatts” of electricity in his back-of-envelope analysis, and Adam Pournell said he feared nighttime and daytime noise at 65–75 decibels could disrupt nearby church services and daily life. Sal Serbone said recent site prep had already disturbed his land and alleged longstanding local water-quality problems.

Commission response and due diligence: Greg said the county’s approach is to treat each proposal case-by-case and to insist on data from any prospective project. He outlined specific due-diligence items the county would seek, including an infrastructure cost-attribution breakdown (who pays for substations, transmission lines and dedicated water lines), any power purchase agreement terms, capacity justification and a detailed noise study with octave-band analysis and post-construction independent audits. On water use, Greg cited county and utility figures and said Salisbury–Rowan Utilities (SRU) holds permits and that any large project would be expected to cover upgrades and dedicated lines rather than shift costs to existing customers.

Transparency and public process: A county staff member said multiple public hearings dating to 2021 had been held on a range of industrial proposals for the corridor and promised the county would publish a consolidated Long Ferry Road timeline, public notices and related documents on its website and social channels so residents can verify hearing dates and materials.

What’s next: Commissioners identified items they will request from developers and said they will not make decisions without those studies and commitments. The chair repeatedly urged residents to provide contact information so staff can ensure they receive public notices. No vote or formal decision about a data center was taken at the meeting.

Quotes used in this story are taken from the March 16 public record of the Rowan County Commission meeting.