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Residents urge Rural Hall council to oppose Project Iron Spur data center
Summary
Dozens of Rural Hall residents urged the Town Council to oppose a proposed large-scale data center ("Project Iron Spur") adjacent to town limits, citing noise, light, air pollution, risks to vulnerable residents and potential impacts on churches and the elementary school.
Dozens of residents used the council’s public-comment period to press elected officials to oppose Project Iron Spur, a proposed hyperscale data center on land just outside Rural Hall’s corporate limits. Speakers who live within a few hundred to 1,000 feet of the site described concerns about continuous noise and vibration, bright lighting, emissions and loss of small‑town character.
"This home is supposed to be her safe space," said Allison Wagner, who lives about 500–1,000 feet from the projected site and described how constant noise and lights could worsen sensory challenges for her adult daughter with autism. Ivy Banner played audio excerpts from other communities and warned residents could hear a ‘‘constant drone’’ and feel vibration even if measured decibel levels meet industrial limits.
Speakers raised public‑safety and environmental concerns: Eve Vernon cited nearby rail tankers carrying butane and asked how the town would prepare for an incident, and Ulrike Wiethaus urged the council to consider potential legal protections for houses of worship under federal statutes. Multiple commenters said the draft resolution (R‑901) should be a clear statement of opposition rather than a set of conditional mitigations.
The meeting’s public commenters included longtime residents and people who said they recently moved to Rural Hall; many asked the council to transmit a clear opposition to the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Planning Board and Forsyth County commissioners ahead of the county review. The council later amended and adopted an opposition resolution (R‑901) during new business.
The public‑comment speakers are included in the town’s official speaking roster; the concerns they raised are not council findings and represent citizens’ statements and local observations. The county planning process — not the town — has formal authority over the rezoning request, which the town may only influence through resolutions and input to the Planning Board and Board of Commissioners.
