Rockingham City Council has approved a rezoning request that could clear the way for a proposed $1.2 billion data center along Old Cheraw Highway.
The council voted 4-1 to rezone approximately 165 acres at 316 Old Cheraw Highway from high-density residential to conditional light industrial. Councilwoman Holly Howe cast the only opposing vote.
Plans presented to the city describe a four-building data center campus with a total capacity of 460 megawatts. The proposed facility would include 192 diesel-powered backup generators and is expected to employ approximately 30 people. Developers said the cooling system would operate as a closed-loop system, limiting the facility’s use of city water primarily to normal employee needs.
Conditions attached to the rezoning include limiting routine generator testing to weekday business hours, maintaining a 200-foot vegetative buffer along part of the property, conducting annual noise studies and preventing light from spilling onto adjoining residential properties. The conditions also require protection of a cemetery located on the site and continued pedestrian access to it.
The proposal drew significant opposition during the public hearing, with residents raising concerns about noise, air quality, nearby property values and the cemetery. Supporters pointed to the project’s potential tax revenue and broader economic impact. City officials said no municipal tax incentives have been proposed.
The council’s vote approves the conditional zoning request for the property; the project remains a proposed development.
Source: Richmond County Daily Journal
