Valara Data Center in Spartanburg County now at center of lawsuit
The Valara Data Center project in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is now the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center. The lawsuit accuses developer Valara and the county of avoiding the public planning commission process by treating the $2.8 billion project as a minor land development. The SELC is seeking a court order to require Valara to obtain a major land development permit and a permanent injunction to stop processing the minor permit application.
The Valara Data Center project in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, is currently at the center of a lawsuit filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC).
The SELC is asking a state court to compel Spartanburg County to adhere to its own development ordinance. The lawsuit targets Valara, the developer of the $2.8 billion data center project, which is one of the largest investments in South Carolina. The SELC accuses both Valara and the county of circumventing the public planning commission process by classifying the project as a "minor land development," which allows it to be reviewed by staff rather than the commission.
The lawsuit seeks two primary outcomes: first, a declaration from the court that Spartanburg County must comply with its ordinance and require Valara to obtain a major land development permit; and second, a permanent injunction to immediately halt the processing of Valara's minor land development permit application. An attorney for the SELC stated that "surrounding communities have every right to be fully informed about this massive project and the impacts upon their health."