Data center

Called the county's map on future data center sites 'worthless,' criticized the 430-acre approval, and said residents feel unheard after the board voted down the pause motion.

Asked how the new 'secret projects' will get power given Duke transmission constraints, and asked for 45 dB limits and fines starting at $10,000 that double per violation.

Laid out six demands: refer the noise standard to the JPC, fix the $100/day fine, hold hearings on the three petitions, and get legal advice on the county's exposure.

Said the board is ignoring three legally valid petitions to rewrite the data center rules and lower the 65 dB limit; vowed residents won't give up.

Asked for a rigorous due-diligence process covering noise, lighting, landscaping and electric bills, and complained that a commissioner approached him privately about an email he sent the chair.

Called the 65 dB standard a health hazard, demanded UDO amendments now, questioned private CyrusOne meetings, and asked commissioners to raise their hands if they'd never signed an NDA.

Cited Pennsylvania counties requiring 100–125% decommissioning bonds, detailed Illinois regulations CyrusOne must meet, and requested a public accounting of Magenta Morelli cleanup costs.

Criticized the county's press release as empty monitoring language and demanded noise limits of 50 dB day/40 dB night, saying the board has lost residents' trust.

A lifelong Lower Moncure Road resident and brain tumor survivor urged commissioners to prioritize quality of life over money and jobs.

Said the county has repeatedly placed industrial uses near his Deep River home without telling residents beforehand, and asked for transparency.

Urged the board to revisit the data center approval based on due-diligence standards and criticized the 65-decibel noise limit as unacceptable for lifelong exposure.

Asked the board to direct staff to begin reviewing the data center ordinance now — setbacks, noise, water, generators — rather than waiting for the next application.

Lives 100 yards from the data center entrance; questioned who pays for Duke transmission upgrades and argued the data center consumes power that could serve job-creating manufacturers.

Cited firsthand accounts of data center harms nationwide, questioned long-term viability and decommissioning, and asked how residents' concerns can be genuinely considered.

Claimed generators were ordered two years ago, suggesting the project was decided behind closed doors, and called the project a permanent harm to the community.

Called on commissioners to update the UDO now so the next data center pays its own way and protects residents.

Said rezoning to industrial caused the problems, thanked Commissioner Reives, and asked for resident involvement, county water extension, and tax incentives for affected residents.

Pressed for a moratorium, noting large tracts could host data centers and citing ballot measures on data centers in other states.

Said she and others warned the board as far back as October 2025 and were ignored; urged the board to stop data centers.

Furious that the rezoning passed 4-3 despite opposition; demanded the county stop the project and questioned SAGA's secrecy.

A neighboring farmer described nightly noise readings, warned of ~1 gigawatt power demand and 125,000 gallons/day water use, and demanded a data center moratorium.

Used a 'seven blind mice' parable to argue the board is seeing the data center piecemeal; demanded a legally sound 180-day moratorium.

A young resident questioned Cyrus One's closed-loop cooling, chemical disposal, gas generator use, sound barriers, and the low job count.

Thanked Officer Eldridge for 18 years of service, then asked again for a data center moratorium and UDO review.

Said twice-passed moratorium motions were 'sabotaged' by staff, asked who runs the county, and urged the board to pass the moratorium itself.

Asked commissioners to create a way for residents to help — funds, expertise, letters — outside the public-comment format.

Quoted the county's own strategic plan values and asked commissioners to live up to them on the data center issue.

Made a specific ask: an immediate temporary moratorium while the county develops data-center-specific standards for water, noise, setbacks, and power.

Wearing her father's 1952 Deep River letterman jacket, demanded the moratorium now and criticized the 75% countryside-to-light-industrial rezoning.

A third-generation farmer delivered an emotional, profanity-laced rebuke, telling the board to stop the data center now and directing frustration at individual commissioners before being called to order.

Asked why the county is rushing, and laid out specific UDO fixes: raise the $100/day fine to $10,000/day, require independent noise monitoring, reconsider the 500-foot buffer, and require decommissioning bonds.

A farmer whose property borders the Helix site said the project was sold as light industrial, urged reclassifying data centers to heavy industrial, and noted full build-out would use more power than Harris Lake produces.

Focused on wildlife and livestock: dogs hear 20 dB lower than humans, and she asked whether the board is prepared to take responsibility for income losses to farmers whose animals suffer from constant noise.

A finance professional argued the public was sold a light industrial park, not a 90-megawatt data center; the rezoning was general-use so no promises are enforceable, and she asked for independent verification of tax, water, noise, and power claims.

A CCCC student argued the $1 million in projected tax revenue works out to about $14 per resident, questioned Cyrus One's sustainability record at other sites, and challenged the 40-job projection.

Asked why the rush and why a data center at all, citing secrecy, closed-door meetings, and the loss of 130 acres of land, forest, and wildlife.

Presented technical UDO amendment proposals, arguing the A-weighted noise standard hides low-frequency sound and asking for linear (C-weighted) measurement, referral to the planning commission, and a temporary moratorium.

Thanked Chairman Martin and Commissioner Reives for reaching out, but accused former leadership of secretly coordinating the data center while residents fought rumors, and asked staff to amend the UDO for low-frequency noise.

Said she's asked for a moratorium for months, referenced a reported commissioner text calling the crowd 'the mob,' and said weak UDO protections and secrecy have created mistrust.

Kept it short: residents on Lower Moncure Road are losing sleep because the board denied a basic review request, and she asked how the board sleeps at night.

An 81-year Lee's Chapel Road farming family representative said the county rubber-stamps everything, noted rural areas have been denied water for years while the data center would get it, and asked who has the backbone to stop the project.

Said the data center process broke her trust in local government and asked whether the board will be emboldened to act the same way on the next big project.

Said her family hasn't slept since June 8, read a long list of NC towns and counties that adopted moratoriums, called the board's legislative resolution inadequate, and demanded local action now.

Distributed documents with twelve questions and a source sheet, asked who signed NDAs and when, and urged an immediate moratorium: stop, study, disclose, listen, then decide.

Criticized the SAGA economic development recruitment process as flawed, noted a lawsuit against Cyrus One elsewhere, and asked for an emergency moratorium while the application is still under review.

Asked what kind of growth the board is choosing, noted no resident has ever spoken in favor of the data center, and cited the 90 megawatts as roughly the demand of 75,000 homes — tripling the county's electric need.

Cited water crises in Virginia and Georgia, warned that the proposed Enbridge fracked-gas pipeline to power the data center would cross Chatham County farms and the Deep River, and asked for a moratorium.

A recording engineer measured 57 dB of ambient background at the site perimeter, leaving only 9 dB of headroom under the 65 dB limit, and pressed the board on how the noise ordinance will be enforced.

The NAACP president said passing the UDO should begin accountability, not end it; with up to $7 billion in investment, every commitment should be enforceable — and asked for data justifying the removal of Sunday voting.

A Moncure resident said she'll boycott Lower Moncure Road if the project proceeds, citing noise, light pollution, Central Electric power costs, groundwater, and the threat to farms and wildlife.

Said his house lights already flicker daily, questioned whether the grid can handle another data center, and called any NDA signed by a board member a complete abdication of public service.

Cited a study of 6,000 data centers showing surface temperature increases up to 16.5°F within a 6.5-mile radius, and said her elderly mother lives less than five miles from the site.

A Lee County educator asked for a pause on new data centers, citing unknown environmental effects, a strained power grid, and concerns raised by his own students.

A 50-year resident warned that growth-at-all-costs planning will double the population by 2050 without doubling schools and infrastructure, and asked the board to open each meeting by asking what it's doing for quality of life.

Told the board she can live without a data center but not without clean water, clean air, and affordable electric bills, and asked them to show residents they were trusted correctly.

Compared the situation to the 2014-15 coal ash fight, describing a playbook of targeting uninformed communities and urging the county to say no.

A veteran of the successful anti-co-ash campaign, she praised the crowd's activism and expressed confidence data centers can be stopped.

Said hundreds have asked for a moratorium over the past year and quoted Proverbs about shutting ears to the cry of the poor.

Said the developers lied, cheated with NDAs, and are stealing the community's peace and quiet, and asked for a moratorium.

The final commenter asked the county to adopt the strongest possible UDO protections for water, environment, and fixed-income residents regardless of the project's fate.

Described infrasound's physiological effects on humans and animals and urged commissioners to consider the long-term consequences.

Detailed the developer's track record in Virginia — no built hyperscale centers, pressure tactics, and revised permit requests — and questioned the noise study's generator assumptions.

Speaking for the third time, said the board hasn't been listening, called data centers the next bust, and renewed his call for a moratorium.

A lifelong resident warned that low-frequency infrasound from data centers can't be stopped by walls or distance and can cause health effects, and urged responsible development.

A business owner and former teacher warned of resource strain and asked the board to vote on a moratorium, saying she's disturbed by the secrecy.

Asked commissioners to put residents first, questioning electricity and water use, taxpayer costs, and secrecy, and urged a no vote.

A repeat speaker since August, she questioned the scale of the hyperscale campus versus what was originally touted, cited CyrusOne citations and lawsuits, and asked for a moratorium.

A computer science student raised concerns about a projected 7.6 GW energy demand increase and potential 18% power bill increases for North Carolina residents.

Said the developer promised a quiet business park with 500 jobs but is now building a 430-acre data center campus with a 90-megawatt draw and only 40 permanent jobs, and urged the companies to withdraw.

A Monkey (Chatham County) resident urged the public to look at online petitions, arguing the pipeline and utility needs tie the data center question to regional energy politics.

A local veterinarian cited research on noise effects on livestock and wildlife, diesel generator decibel levels, and a Cambridge study on data center heat islands.

A USDA-registered farmer whose property is surrounded by the project said he's documenting sound levels daily and warned of CyrusOne's noise complaints and litigation elsewhere.

Said the company hasn't been truthful and, drawing on her father's toxic-waste cleanup career, urged the county to require upfront cleanup funds in trust before construction.

Argued making data centers a permitted use stripped residents of future public hearings and elevated corporate property rights over homeowners' rights.

Asked pointed questions about the likelihood of construction and cybersecurity oversight, noting $900 million in backing and foreign data-handling concerns.

A Lower Moncure Road resident said the community was misled about the rezoning and urged commissioners not to approve data centers near homes.

Argued infrasound penetrates walls and standard zoning setbacks won't help, and demanded a moratorium with proper multi-weighted sound measurement.

Raised concerns about whether county fire departments are prepared for lithium battery fires at the proposed data center, citing her Ohio experience where a data center fire burned over 30 hours and caused $450 million in damages.

Said he's speaking up for his neighbors and vulnerable residents even though the project wouldn't directly affect his end of town.

Asked whether the board will form an independent citizen committee of scientists to study communities that already host data centers.

Questioned whether the review process fits a $900 million project, asking whether the county has the fire, hazmat, and emergency capacity for a worst-case event.

Cited Google's Oregon data center consuming a third of a city's water and argued a facility using power equal to 100,000 homes doesn't belong in light industrial.

Mother of a disabled child living in Deep River; asked the board to consider families like hers who depend on local hospitals and schools when weighing the data center.

Listed unaddressed questions — e-waste, CO2 emissions, water discharge, runoff — and asked for a moratorium and a new zoning classification for data centers.

Lives under two miles from the site; questioned how a data center qualifies as 'light' industrial given 65-85 dB noise levels and heat output.

Retired federal attorney; submitted a petition with about 600 signatures and argued a planning board member's changed position proves material confusion justifying a moratorium.

Said residents don't want or need a data center and don't want their rural way of life and health sold to the highest bidder.

Raised transparency concerns: out-of-state consultants who supported the UDO amendments had worked on the proposed project without disclosing it.

Said constituents 'got played' on the moratorium vote and threatened legal action if a permit is granted.

Questioned what the county gains from a $900 million project with only about 50 jobs, and worried about his inherited land's value and water use.

Lives across from the proposed substation; played a recording of the expected noise and asked for a moratorium.

Father of three living near the site; raised health concerns about infrasound and EMF exposure, citing his son's seizures from a smart meter.

Demanded the board reject data center development and enact a moratorium, saying the community has spoken clearly against it.

Argued a much larger operator than Deep River Data is eyeing the county, citing a $5 billion figure and the pivot from moratorium to UDO amendments; asked commissioners to pledge no NDAs.

Renewed his call for a moratorium on drilling, fracking, and data centers, calling the draft UDO standards 'insultingly weak' and criticizing SAGA's credibility.

Called for civility on the board, thanked residents who keep showing up, and urged updating the UDO on data centers before it's too late.

Spoke in support, comparing data centers to past transformative technologies like railroads and the internet, and said the standards protect the community.

An economic development advocate spoke in support of the data center ordinance, saying it creates tax revenue without straining schools or roads and keeps decision-making local.

A Lower Monkey Road resident strongly opposed the data center, warning about fracking, aquifer contamination, water use, noise, and grid strain, and urged the county to make rules so restrictive the project can't come in.

Opposed the UDO, said he called a Virginia anti-data-center coalition leader, warned of rising electric bills, and urged a one-year moratorium.

A Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League advocate opposed the UDO, urged a decommissioning bond, warned against fracking 'synergy,' and quoted Jurassic Park on acting before thinking.

An Angel Road resident who's been attending since October opposed the UDO, citing city council concerns about the 500-foot buffer, the lowered fine, e-waste, and asking where the rumored $5 billion data center is.

A mechanical engineer from upstate New York specializing in data center cooling supported the ordinance, explaining that modern closed-loop air-cooled systems use almost no water and don't discharge harmful wastewater.

An acoustical consultant from Dallas working in data centers supported the UDO, saying data center noise is predictable and the ordinance's noise limits and enforcement protocols are well designed.

A Florida environmental engineer supporting the UDO said data centers produce far less hazardous waste than typical industry and abandoned sites would likely be repurposed, not left as blight.

A Sanford resident opposed the UDO in its current state, saying responsibility between utilities, the data center, the county, and the city still needs clarification.

Opposed the UDO citing loopholes, questioned why SAGA brought experts after calling the project a bad fit, and pressed for a moratorium over water, power, and tax-exemption worries.

Opposed the UDO as written but supportive of the concept, said the substantive limits (decibels, Duke Energy power requirement) are sound, and urged a moratorium to verify it's the best the county can legally do.

A Sanford resident and former anti-landfill activist opposed the UDO, demanded a 12-month moratorium, called the $100/day penalty 'ludicrous,' and accused the process of being rushed and predetermined.

The CEO of Central Electric Membership Cooperative supported the UDO, explaining that large-load customers pay upfront for their own substations and infrastructure so existing members' rates aren't affected.

A data center policy expert from Atlanta supporting the UDO said Lee County's framework is ahead of most of the Southeast and stressed data centers aren't extractive industries — AI is only 10% of their energy use.

The Deep River Riverkeeper supported rules in principle but argued for a moratorium first, warning that the county's water system can't treat synthetic chemicals like PFOS until 2029 while a data center could be built in 18 months.

The SAGA president, visibly emotional, defended the experts he invited, said SAGA does not support fracking, detailed the ordinance's protections, and stressed that data centers already operate across North Carolina.

A resident who arrived late asked the SAGA experts pointed questions — what's positive about a data center in your backyard, and do closed-loop systems ever need flushing — and concluded a moratorium is still needed.

Asked where the reported $5 billion data center investment figure came from, since Deep River Data reportedly doesn't have pockets that deep.

A local business owner and Chatham County landowner 1.8 miles from the Butler No. 3 well asked for a moratorium, and shared a family EMS story urging the board not to pick the lowest bidder.

A licensed plumber and well contractor educated the Board on well and water risks, noting county water in Harnett also comes from wells.

A Clean Water for North Carolina staffer presented a report on the AI data center business model, said residents already pay higher bills for Microsoft's data centers, and endorsed a moratorium.

A taxpayer and voter who came simply to support a moratorium on fracking and data centers.

Asked the Board, City Council, and SAGA to prohibit NDAs in data center deals, cited Moore County's two-year moratorium, and urged the county to be selective about industry.

A nearly 36-year Sanford resident raising four daughters here asked for a moratorium until the county understands what it's approving.

Compared data centers to a landfill fight he helped win, citing unusable land footprints, few jobs, and health risks; demanded a moratorium and accountability at the ballot box.

Reminded the Board their decisions affect current and future generations.

A Deep River resident with a small farm and a child with asthma urged a moratorium, citing risks to wells, groundwater, air, and summer water shortages.

An attorney, Army veteran, and Jonesboro business owner noted no hands were raised in support of the data center and warned of contaminated water outcomes seen in the Cape Fear Basin.

Urged slowing down and gathering facts, saying 'a rush to judgment is a rush to regret' and that a moratorium makes sense.

A Republican from Cumnock Road sharply criticized the Board's inaction and Chairman Smith by name, urging the minority commissioners to act.

Said the current proposal is under-regulated and supported a moratorium of at least two years to put guardrails in place.

Warned the Cumnock area sits over unmapped old coal mines and recalled past textile pollution, urging the Board to protect residents.

A conservative well-water resident and hunter on the Deep River said data centers create few jobs and predicted the company would exhaust resources and file bankruptcy; urged a moratorium.

A retired hospice social worker spoke about regret and responsibility, supporting a moratorium and opposing both fracking and data centers.

A medical professional who places dialysis catheters described patients with heavy-metal kidney failure and cited fracking health research; asked for a moratorium to study the capped Butler well site.

An NC State emeritus professor who chose Sanford five years ago asked the Board to delay the data center via moratorium, noting many residents couldn't attend.

An Army veteran with tinnitus described permanent noise pollution harms near data centers and urged a moratorium to set sound standards first.

Cited a Brookings Institution article urging regions to slow down and get the right standards in place before deciding.

The Deep River riverkeeper raised concerns about PFOS and dioxin pollution already in the river, which supplies drinking water to about 50,000 people, and opposed a data center next to the new 421 river access site.

Toxic Free NC's organizing director urged moratoria on fracking, drilling, and data centers, noting Deep River Data would be the first commercial well in the Triassic Basin and citing the 1925 Coal Glen mine disaster.

Cited data centers' massive water use (5 million gallons/day) and criticized Chairman Smith for demeaning citizens who disagree with him.

Asked for a moratorium and a legal-options presentation, citing utility cost spikes, noise, health risks, and instability in the AI and crypto industries elsewhere.

Asked why the board voted quickly on the Dream Center but won't vote on a moratorium residents have requested for months, and urged a public vote to join Chatham County's ban.

Reported the state geologist expects a Deep River Data drilling application and urged a moratorium, noting other counties have acted; also criticized dismissive responses from a commissioner.

Third time speaking on the issue; asked why no moratorium has been placed and requested a public vote and an agenda item on the topic.

A software engineer who argued data centers bring few local jobs and drive away tech talent, and asked for a moratorium and a SELC presentation on the county's regulatory options.

A retired teacher who criticized the board for denying environmental groups agenda time, and highlighted the Cape Fear River's role as a drinking water source downstream.

A retired school speech therapist and outdoor enthusiast who called it a quality-of-life, environmental, and wildlife issue and asked for a SELC presentation.

Urged a moratorium to protect water, air, and soil, citing Chatham County's 12-month ban, and asked for a SELC presentation with a public vote.

Clean Water for NC staffer confirmed no application has been filed yet, called the situation a 'gift of time,' and urged a temporary moratorium now while the county has the most legal latitude.

Delivered an impassioned, at times inflammatory critique — calling the project a Bitcoin scheme, invoking the coal ash history, and pointedly challenging Chairman Smith over press comments; the chairman cut him off and denied any impropriety.

Asked the board to enact a moratorium before any application arrives, citing cancer-cluster concerns from other fracking regions and unknown AI influence.

Argued the AI bubble is deflating, making the data center economically unviable, and warned fracking would crater land values and force tax hikes or school cuts.

Asked the board to enact a moratorium on fracking, drilling, and any AI data center to gain breathing room and follow the science.

Warned from experience in rural Southern communities that one big economic tragedy can leave a rural town in permanent ruin, and opposed a rushed decision.