A Forsyth County town just 10 miles north of Wake Forest may soon host a data center, but many locals are resistant. On April 1, approximately 120 residents packed the Rural Hall Town Hall to its maximum capacity to speak against a proposed 129-acre rezoning. 

If approved by the county, “Project Iron Spur” would allow the Charlotte-based development company Drox Group to construct four 78-foot-tall buildings immediately across the street from the Town Hall in collaboration with project management office Montrose and engineering firm Thomas & Hutton.

“I hope and trust that whomever is here trying to mess things up, leave it alone, because Rural Hall has everything that anybody needs.” 96-year-old Bert Watkins said. She’s lived in the town of 3,500 since 1992. “Get out of Rural Hall because you don’t need nobody else coming in here messing up everything.”

Residents who arrived too late to get a seat or stand inside gathered outside Town Hall. Attendees’ cars overflowed from the building’s parking lot to a nearby funeral home. Meanwhile, those inside questioned and rebuked Mayor Terry Bennett and Montrose representative Michael Fess for over two hours. 

They delivered passionate speeches, recited poems and mimicked the droning sound of a data center. At least twenty wore red shirts as a symbol of their unified opposition. One child held a cardboard sign that showed a crying face accompanied by the words “Please protect Rural Hall.”

Most speakers expressed concern that a data center would increase their power bills, overtap water resources and otherwise become a nuisance to a small town that prides itself on its peaceful natural surroundings.Andrew Kraber, a pastor at Rural Hall Moravian Church, referred to an informal town slogan to introduce his remarks. 

“As Rural Hall, we have agreed that we are the ‘Garden Spot of the World,’” Kraber said. “I also know that the only humming I want to hear in my garden… is the bees and maybe an occasional hummingbird… I don’t want the children who go to school and the playground right behind my house to hear anything else.”

“The things you’re offering–they are changes to our environment,” Kraber continued. “Changes we didn’t ask for.”

Montrose representative seeks to persuade the community

Fess, a Montrose representative from Huntersville, N.C., assured attendees that he and his company want to hear feedback from locals. The first slide of his presentation was titled: “A Conversation with Our Neighbors.”

“Listening to your concerns and seeing how we can revise the plan and the application and how we can address those concerns… that’s what we’re up here to do tonight,” Fess said.

Fess noted that Drox picked the site on Glade Street and Bethania-Rural Hall Road because of other nearby industrial sites, railroads and a Duke Energy substation. He explained how data centers support the internet and said that newer facilities are less disruptive to their environments than the first generation of data centers. He further highlighted the center’s potential to bring millions in tax revenue to the area.

While acknowledging that he couldn’t provide specific answers to many residents’ questions as the company continues to tweak its site plans, Fess said that Drox is working to mitigate the data center’s effects on surrounding residential areas. For example, the data center would attract less traffic than other industrial developments, according to Fess.

“We’ll probably see about 20 cars per shift, if that,” Fess said. “Whereas if it was industrial manufacturing, such as a concrete plant, where the concrete trucks are running in and out all day.”

Fess invited attendees to apply for a steering committee of 6-8 locals. 

“This isn’t a one-and-done meeting. We’re going to be continuing to meet with residents,” he said. “Again, this is not set in stone. We can revise the plans, we can put conditions on the rezoning to address your major concerns.”

Carol Newsome, a local activist, pushed back.

“We don’t want you picking the steering committee,” Newsome said to Fess, sparking applause from the audience. “This community needs to pick who’s in that steering committee.”

Newsome also questioned Fess’s tax revenue estimate and argued that the data center would not create as many jobs as other potential uses for the land.

Resident Jane Bodenhamer also advocated for Rural Hall to invest their land and resources elsewhere. She said she was concerned that the data center would harm nearby gathering places, including a volleyball court, a community garden and a fishing pond. 

“I’m thinking that property would be really good for a community center, not a data center,” Bodenhamer said. “Maybe a community pool. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

“We do not need that monster,” Bodenhamer continued, referring to the proposed data center. “We do not want it.”

Striking the right tone

The Town Hall was tense at times. While the town organized a list of speakers, residents interjected their own thoughts throughout the meeting. 

Others used their allotted time to express anger at the companies spearheading the data center.

“Why don’t you put it in Charlotte?” local Renee Bowles asked, pointing at Fess. “Put it in Huntersville. Put it next to your house.” 

Rural Hall Mayor Terry Bennett discouraged attendees from delivering inflammatory speeches. 

“Being loud, telling people they don’t know what they’re talking about… I don’t think that’s gonna work,” Bennett said. His words drew rumblings from the crowd.

But even Bennett let his opinion slip.

“Do I want the data center here?” he asked. “No, I don’t, as a resident. But I’ve also got to listen to all the ones that’s in this community.” 

Mark Allen of Rural Hall said he didn’t support the data center but encouraged his neighbors to keep calm and prioritize lasting resistance rather than one-off protests.

“We have to keep our passion,” Allen said. “If they delay this six months for the power study, don’t get numb to this.”

Moving forward

Forsyth County had planned to review Drox’s final site proposal on May 14, but the date may be pushed back as the company continues to alter its plans.

Jax Velazquez, an organizer and tattoo artist from Rural Hall, said they and other residents are seeking clarity from the town government on the timeline of the proposal process.

“If they are not in opposition, they have more questions than anything,” Velazquez said of their neighbors.

Jose Saucedo, an organizer from Winston-Salem, added he hopes Rural Hall residents stay engaged in future meetings, even as the company’s and county’s schedules remain opaque.

“How can we encourage more people to come out [and] speak out?” Saucedo asked. “We know power is within the people, and power is in numbers.”

Correction Apr. 10: An earlier version of this article misspelled Jane Bodenhamer’s name.