New Digital Realty land purchase raises questions near Richmond County school | WSOC-TV
Digital Realty recently purchased 400 acres of land in Richmond County, North Carolina, for potential data center development, raising concerns among local residents and leaders who were unaware of the acquisition. Neighbors worry about the impact on a nearby school and cite noise issues from an existing Amazon data center construction. A public meeting regarding air quality permits for the Amazon facility is scheduled.
A 9-investigation by WSOC-TV uncovered Digital Realty's recent purchase of 400 acres of land on County Home Road in Richmond County, North Carolina, for potential digital infrastructure development. This acquisition is near a local school, prompting concerns from residents like George McCrae, who has lived in the area for 85 years and worries about the impact on students and the neighborhood.
Digital Realty stated it is "exploring opportunities for digital infrastructure development" and committed to early engagement with residents. Meanwhile, Amazon is already constructing a large data center in Richmond County, and one resident reported that a family member relocated due to construction noise. Richmond County Commissioner Jamie Gathings and other local leaders indicated they were unaware of Digital Realty's land purchase. Gathings stated that plans for the site would eventually be presented to county commissioners.
The report also mentioned that while other communities like York County and Charlotte have imposed data center moratoriums, Richmond County currently has no such restrictions. A public meeting regarding air quality permits for the Amazon data center project is scheduled to allow community members to share their thoughts.