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Residents press Nelson County board for records and planning after $9 million land purchase
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Nelson County Board of Supervisors to release purchase and appraisal documents and to show plans for a recently purchased 6,683-acre property; commenters also raised concerns about possible data-center interest and county transparency around vendor payments.
Residents used the public-comment period at the Nelson County Board of Supervisors meeting to press elected officials for more information about a recent county land purchase and to raise questions about transparency and possible data-center interest.
Several speakers praised the county's economic-development initiative while urging careful planning. "I am encouraged," said Joe Kennedy, who encouraged the board to study a standalone staff structure to support long-term county needs. Carlton Blue said he supported the purchase if the land is used to bring jobs to Nelson County.
Other public commentators were sharply critical. Steven Bane said the county had paid $9 million for a property he described as 6,683 acres but that the current assessed value in county records was about $500 per acre (roughly $342,000 total), and he asked for a business plan and more information about how the county determined suitability for development. "I don't understand how that can be," Bane said, describing concerns about paying a "huge premium price."
Frank Clark told the board his FOIA request returned emails indicating county staff discussed data centers despite public statements alleging otherwise. Clark said the county had paid Rutherford Enterprises $94,734 across 37 checks for a building tied to elections and asked the board to release full data-center records, the appraisal and purchase documents for the land, bid and conflict records related to Rutherford Enterprises, and answers to specific vehicle- and fleet-management questions.
Kevin Crowe and other neighbors said the county should anticipate and plan for potential pressure from data-center developers, calling on the board to assess water, energy and infrastructure implications in advance.
The board did not take action during the public-comment period to release the requested documentation. Residents ended their remarks before the meeting moved to the consent agenda.
Next steps: speakers asked the board to publish the requested records, produce a business plan for the property, and to explain the county's procurement and fleet decisions; the board has not yet provided those documents on the record.
