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Residents urge county to block data centers and call for limits on solar development
Summary
Several Northampton County residents and advocates told commissioners they oppose data centers and large solar farms, saying such projects bring pollution, few long-term jobs and land-use impacts; commissioners and staff said no data center is currently authorized for the county and pledged more research and ordinance work.
Several residents told the Northampton County Board of Commissioners on Monday they do not want data centers or additional large-scale solar farms in the county.
Belinda Joiner, who signed up for public comment, said she was "going on record" against a data center after receiving a phone call and researching the issue. "We do not want a data center," she said, adding concerns about pollution and limited local jobs: "You might have a job when they're building it, but once they finish, you might have two people in there running the AI." She asked the board to place a moratorium on data-center development until residents and officials have more information.
County Manager Mr. Phillips replied that "there is no data center supposed to be coming to Northampton County" and explained that private developments near I‑95 are not county projects and would still require zoning approvals. He said private developers could propose projects, but the county must follow zoning and permitting rules.
Sylvia Vincent, another commenter, criticized the pace and scale of recent solar farms in the county and said residents have not benefited from jobs or local tax revenue. She told commissioners she had been told by a county official that "there will not be any data centers in Northampton County" and said residents would hold officials to that statement.
Commissioners acknowledged the public concern and said the topic was raised at a recent District 7 county managers meeting. "If you don't have an ordinance, they're trying to put an ordinance in place and not wait," the county manager said, describing efforts to research and prepare a local ordinance ahead of any proposals.
What happens next
Commissioners said they will continue research and consider ordinance language and educational outreach for residents. No formal land-use decision or zoning action was taken at the meeting.
