Rowan County Chair Edds engages with citizens against data center project

At a recent Rowan County Commission meeting, County Chair Greg Edds engaged in an unusual, tense dialogue with numerous citizens concerned about a proposed artificial intelligence data center on a 400-acre lot off Long Ferry Road. Residents, led by a circulating online petition, voiced significant concerns over potential increases in water and electricity consumption, environmental impacts, and health effects from high-frequency noises. The lot in question was acquired by EDC Charlotte LLC, a company specializing in data centers, after Rowan County adjusted its zoning in June 2024 to permit data centers while the property was still under Red Rocks Development company. Despite the zoning change, Chair Edds emphatically denied any active data center deal, stating, "There is no data center deal. We have made no offers on any data centers. No data centers have made any offers to us. We are not speaking to any data centers." Citizens, including farmer Anthony Collins and petitioner Shannon Solomon, challenged Edds's denial, citing site plans and deeds they had reviewed. Samantha Ring clarified that AI data centers, unlike regular ones, have significantly higher resource demands, which is the core of the community's concern. The discussion also covered water systems, with Edds unable to confirm the type of system a hypothetical data center would use. County Manager Aaron Church confirmed there were four public hearings in 2024 regarding the rezoning but noted only an "erosion control" permit is currently active for the site. Citizens from Down Home Rowan County and others advocated for a moratorium on AI data centers until their full impacts are understood, prompting Edds to acknowledge lingering questions about water and energy consumption and noise output. The almost two-hour meeting concluded with Edds promising continued dialogue.