Recent coverage and opinions about data centers from the Salisbury Post. Support your local paper and check daily for more information as residents continue to ask questions and receive answers from County and City officials.
“Transformational:” North Rowan weighs data center’s economic impact by Chandler Inions
ROWAN COUNTY — Ever since word got out about an AI data center development on Long Ferry Road, there has been much talk about how it will affect the surrounding area, predominantly, the neighbors, water and energy supply and even environmental impacts.
However, there are two municipalities in northern Rowan County that would be directly affected with the construction of an AI data center — Spencer and East Spencer. With the proposed development occurring within expected growth boundaries of both towns, East Spencer to the south of Long Ferry Road and Spencer to the north of it, each would stand to be impacted more than any other municipalities in Rowan County.
So what did those towns have to say about it?
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At the end of the day, town officials are excited about what an AI data center development could mean — improved facilities and roadways while consolidating immense taxable value into a single development.
Read the entire article at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/04/27/transformationalnorth-rowan-weighs-data-centers-economic-impact/
My Turn: The digital economy has a local address by Tianca Crocker
Local leaders have approached growth as something to be guided — not blindly resisted or hastily embraced, but evaluated in light of community values. That approach has preserved a rural quality of life while still allowing access to urban amenities, jobs and services. With a short drive connecting residents to the state’s largest metro areas, this region balances opportunity between pace and place. As large data centers and related infrastructure are proposed, this modern tradition of measured growth is being tested.
Data centers are frequently described as engines of the digital economy, supporting cloud services, artificial intelligence, healthcare tools, financial systems and everyday communication. That role is real. But these facilities are not abstract. They are place-based, resource-intensive developments with long term consequences for nearby communities — consequences that deserve careful local consideration.
Construction alone can take years, bringing heavy truck traffic, noise and disruption. Once operational, large data centers demand substantial energy and water, placing ongoing pressure on local utilities and infrastructure. Land use changes can be permanent and surrounding residents — many of whom have deep ties to the community — often lack realistic options to relocate. These impacts are felt most directly by the people living closest to proposed sites.
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Read the entire My Turn opinion at: https://www.salisburypost.com/2026/04/28/my-turn-the-digital-economy-has-a-local-address/
My Turn: A tale of two data centers by Samatha Hasprel
Data centers seem to be the topic of the moment, and we are now faced with two of them in our own community. While many will scream “No Data Centers” at the top of their lungs, we all must understand that not all data centers are created equal. We are currently looking at two vastly different projects.
The first is a county project on Long Ferry Road, which was approved for a hyperscale AI data center by the county commissioners in September 2025. The county did the bare minimum legally required to notify the public; they held the required planning board meetings but did not widely publicize them or invite citizens to a presentation. They did not engage us in any way that shows meaningful transparency, and they now find themselves in a well-deserved firestorm.
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Let’s talk about that city project. The city is proposing a non-AI data center on Henderson Grove Church Road. As proposed in a developer meeting on April 14 by Trammell Crow and Flexential, this project is large but very different from the county project. Flexential provides cloud, backup and cybersecurity support — not AI processing. The scale is 400,000 square feet; they state it will require 36 MW of power once it is at full build and that the center is almost waterless, using water only for sinks and landscaping.
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Moving forward, I am committed to fighting the county and any AI data center end-user to let them know they are not welcome in our community. As for the city, there are still many questions to be answered, including whether we want a data center at all. The lack of an “open forum” for the public to discuss this project as a group is problematic for me; however, I support the approach they are taking to execute the process the right way. I am undecided about the city’s project, but I am glad for the actual engagement and will continue to push for truthful answers and make sure that we hold our elected officials accountable at every step.