‘Done under our noses.’ Charlotte-area residents roast data center zoning off I-85
Add Rowan County to the growing list of communities around the Charlotte region where neighbors are fighting against massive data centers coming to town.
In October, county commissioners quietly rezoned nearly 400 acres of former farmland on Long Ferry Road in Salisbury off Interstate 85 to allow for data center usage. A firm with ties to a data center developer promptly bought the former Carlton Farms site after the rezoning.
A number of Rowan County residents recently launched an online petition and a Facebook page against any data centers coming to that land. As of Monday, March 23, the petition had gathered had nearly 3,000 signatures.
Residents also raised $1,200 via a GoFundMe fundraising page to pressure county commissioners to reject the project.
Over the past few of years, the surge in artificial intelligence fueled by apps, websites and other tech has created the need for the rapid expansion of massive data centers to handle the demand. The Carolinas, with Charlotte at the center, are now seen nationally as a rising hub that’s helping expand that supply.
‘What makes you think this is OK to do?’
Rowan County opponents cited a range of concerns, including environmental impact, potential for pollution, high water usage, “higher electric bills, new taxes on residents and a sharp drop in property values.”
At a March 16 commissioner’s meeting, resident Adam Parnell said the process seemed to have been “done under our noses.”
Another resident, Sal Cerbone, said he sold his house when road widening plans on Highway 150 would affect the property. He bought land that now abuts the Long Ferry Road site.
“All I could hear was them destroying the environment behind my place,” he said, accusing the commissioners of selling out. “What makes you think this is OK to do?”
On the Facebook protest site, Cerbone uploaded a video. “My property is currently unusable ... I’m going to have to abandon my property. I cannot live like this,” he said.
Chairman Greg Edds, a Long Ferry Road resident, addressed the roughly 45 residents. “Watch my lips, there is no data center deal,” Edds said, while also discussing the general uses of AI data centers.
Behind the NC data center surge
Rowan County does not have any other data centers operating or planned other than what was then Red Rock Developments’ site, officials told The Charlotte Observer in October. The Salisbury Post first reported about the data center controversy.
Edged and county officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Shannon Solomon, organizer of the online opposition, also did not respond to requests for comment.
Data centers are giant warehouse-like facilities full of computers and related equipment for storing, processing and distributing digital information or data.
Data centers with billions of dollars in investments are seen as economic drivers, but also present concerns including environmental and other impacts. Residents in the Charlotte region, like Matthews and Mooresville have been successful in their opposition to squash data center plans, while others like Statesville have not.
Rowan County data center development timeline
2021: Rowan County Economic Development began working with Red Rock Developments in Columbia, on plans to convert the formerCarlton Farms into a multi-building industrial park. The rezoning was approved the following year.
Aug. 19, 2024: The Rowan County Planning Board recommended amending development plans to include “data centers” as a potential usage for the site.
September 2025: Red Rock presented a revised conceptual site plan to Rowan County Department of Planning & Development. A commissioner’s special-called meeting showing 13 buildings on the property. The board voted to approve the revised plan with two conditions for two noise studies.
Oct. 6, 2025: The Rowan County Board of Commissioners ratified a conditional zoning amendment permitting data center construction.
Nov. 17, 2025: The property was sold for $174 million to EDC Charlotte LLC, a firm linked to the data center developer Edged. Edged is a subsidiary of Endeavour, based in Darien, Connecticut.
No data center project has been formally requested for approval yet.
About Edged, an AI data center company
Edged is developing data centers in Europe, North and South America, Middle East and Asia, according to the company’s website.
Edged has five campuses in operation and planned in Spain and Portugal with total capacity for 380 megawatt (MW). According to Duke Energy, 100 MW is equivalent to powering 75,000 homes. So that’s enough to power about 285,000 homes annually.
The first Edged facility opened in Dallas, Texas, in January 2025. The second facility is expected to break ground before summer this year, according to Edged’s website.
The company’s projects in seven U.S. metros have a total capacity for 388MW, according to Edged’s website. Atlanta is the largest with 169MW on over 80 acres, followed by 96MW on over 65 acres in Chicago. Other projects are in Dallas; Kansas City, Missouri; Phoenix, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; and Des Moines, Iowa.
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 5:16 AM.
