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Residents raise noise, health and transparency concerns over proposed QTS data center in York County
Summary
Public commenters urged the council for transparency about approvals and raised health, noise and utility-cost concerns tied to a proposed QTS data center ("Project Cobra"). Speakers pointed to transmission upgrade costs and FOIA disclosures that catalogs originated with QTS rather than the county.
Residents and neighbors told the York County Council during public comment that a large, proposed QTS data center and related projects are disrupting life, raising questions about whether county processes were followed and prompting requests for clearer public information.
"We are currently watching 800 acres of rural York transforming to QTS Project Cobra," said Karu Patel, who told the council the development would be a major power consumer and cited a projection that it could "pull 600 megawatts." Patel and other speakers warned of continuous operational noise, higher household power bills based on out-of-state examples, and potential environmental impacts.
Brandon Langford of Fort Mill told councilors the public deserves to see any formal zoning approval that would allow notice and an opportunity to appeal. "Where is the zoning approval for SilFab that the public could see, be notified of, and appeal?" Langford asked, arguing a verification letter is not equivalent to a formal approval and urging the council to act if processes were not followed.
County staff and the county manager responded in the meeting that SilFab-related documents and the set of public questions have been posted on the county manager's department web pages, and that some matters remain subject to litigation; staff advised council to refrain from public comment on items tied to open litigation.
Residents also cited technical and financial details. Stacy Armstrong said testimony filed with the Public Service Commission by a Duke Energy witness estimated approximately $51.5 million in transmission upgrades to integrate wholesale load requests, and asked whether right-of-way acquisitions or eminent-domain actions would be necessary. Rebecca Seech described construction and equipment noise she said has made sleep difficult in her neighborhood and noted that an FAQ about the project obtained through a FOIA request appeared to originate from QTS rather than the county.
County staff told the meeting the data-center site was industrially zoned for decades and that by-right uses exist; council members asked staff to resend residents the county's construction-hour rules and decibel limits and to clarify enforcement steps so neighbors can report alleged violations. Councilors also said they would follow up with the sheriff and noted certain documents are being shared online for transparency.
Next steps: councilors did not take formal action on the data-center items during the meeting. Staff noted documentation is posted on the county manager's website and said the county would circulate construction-hour and noise-limit information to council and the public before the next meeting.
