Residents press Wythe County supervisors for transparency on 'Project Titan' and possible data-center impacts

Residents used the meeting’s public-comment period to demand greater transparency about a confidential economic-development matter and to object to proposed commercial zoning near their homes.

“Here we are again, another executive session on the agenda tonight to talk about another code name project,” resident Andy Kegley told the Board, urging officials to disclose records and respond to public FOIA requests about what he called “Project Titan.” Kegley pressed for clarity on whether the county or the Joint Industrial Development Authority (JIDA) had received or handled related records.

Donna Nichter of Whispering Pines described discovering in a draft Land Use Ordinance that land surrounding her neighborhood was proposed for commercial zoning. “I actually cried when I first saw it,” she said, describing concerns about property values, noise, light pollution and effects on the local ecosystem, and asking how infrastructure and traffic would be addressed.

Chair James D. “Jamie” Smith told residents the Board had scheduled a zoning information meeting on March 30 and encouraged attendance, saying the planned session was informational and that no votes would be taken. Smith also responded to circulating allegations that county officials had received bonuses related to a private company, saying, “I have nothing to hide,” and offering to open his financial records to a third-party auditor.

Why it matters: Citizens’ requests for record disclosure and the zoning questions raised at the meeting signal ongoing mistrust about how prospective business projects are handled at the staff and JIDA level. The county has advertised a public meeting March 30 to present the draft ordinance and accept input, and staff said they will make related materials available online ahead of that session.