Kings Mountain Couple Regrets Land Sale for Data Center Project
A Kings Mountain, North Carolina couple regrets selling their family land to a developer, Honey Badger Development (HB2K), after learning it was for an AI data center campus rather than residential housing. The developer is involved in a lawsuit against the City of Kings Mountain over utilities, and the city recently passed a data center moratorium.
Roxanne and Tony Wright of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, are experiencing seller's remorse after discovering that the land they sold three years ago to Honey Badger Development, a Reno, Nevada-based developer operating a North Carolina LLC named HB2K, is slated for an AI data center campus. The couple, whose family owned the land for over 40 years, believed they were selling to a residential developer and stated they would not have sold if they had known the true purpose.
Honey Badger Development's LLC, HB2K, which lists a Miami, Florida mailing address, is currently engaged in a lawsuit against the City of Kings Mountain over utility access. Court documents from this lawsuit indicate that the property is "fully entitled as an AI data center campus with approved zoning and 150MW-300MW power pathway." Despite this, Tony Wright notes that no development progress has been visible on the site since the 2023 sale.
Adding another layer to the local data center landscape, Kings Mountain leaders recently enacted a data center moratorium. While the city has not yet confirmed if this moratorium applies to HB2K's project, the development underscores ongoing tensions and regulatory shifts concerning data center expansion in the area. The Wrights maintain they will not sell the remaining portion of their land, which includes a small family cemetery.