Spartanburg County Council approves NorthMark data center agreement, amid alleged legal threat
Spartanburg County Council approved development agreements for three data centers, including NorthMark’s proposed 457-megawatt facility, after the company allegedly threatened legal action. The agreements require community benefit payments, reporting on water and energy use, and sound, lighting and landscaping plans, although some environmental commitments and supporting documents were missing.
Spartanburg County Council approved development agreements for NorthMark’s 457-megawatt data center, AIB’s proposed facility in Tyger River Industrial Park and the Jones Road data center. The NorthMark agreement passed 3-2 after council member Monier Abusaft said the company threatened to take the county to court when officials rejected an earlier version. NorthMark has received one of two required development permits for its $2.8 billion project.
The agreements were approved under the county’s amended data center moratorium ordinance and require annual reports, community meetings, infrastructure-use disclosures and community benefit payments. Council members raised concerns that NorthMark’s agreement omitted deadlines for sound studies, noise and light mitigation, landscaping and unspecified environmental protections. The Jones Road project, backed by Lightstone Group, plans a $1.5 billion investment, while AIB plans to invest $1.2 billion; both agreements also require job creation, infrastructure plans and payments to a county community benefit fund.