Data center challenged by neighbors near Beaufort in zoning lawsuit
Two Colleton County residents who live near a proposed 859-acre data center campus north of Beaufort are suing the county, claiming a newly-adopted zoning ordinance permitting swift approval of data centers in rural areas violates state law and local rules.
In October, Colleton County amended its land management ordinance to allow data centers to be built in specific zoning districts as a “special exception,” meaning the centers could be approved by a single vote during the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Soon after, developers Thomas & Hutton and EagleRock applied to build the campus on rurally zoned land. It would be the closest data center to Beaufort County to date.
Opponents of the data center are worried it will be disruptive and drain the area’s power, leading to a spike in electric bills for county residents and beyond.
During the Dec. 18 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, nearly 400 residents showed out to hear more about the plan and express their concerns, according to reporting from The Post & Courier. No vote was taken after questions were raised about whether the meeting had been properly noticed for the public.
The lawsuit
The residents who filed the suit, Miles Crosby and Jennifer Singleton, argue that the county’s new policy violates state land-use and zoning law by conflicting with the county’s comprehensive plan and failing to meet public notice requirements.
They are asking the court to invalidate the zoning ordinance and block the county from enforcing it.
Crosby, a lifelong Colleton County resident, and Singleton, who relocated to the area for its natural beauty, said the proposed data center could also seriously harm the environment. The site lies at the head of the ACE Basin, encompassing the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers.
“We cannot allow this ordinance to threaten our star-filled night skies, natural quiet and enjoyment of landscapes with light, water and noise pollution,” Crosby wrote in a press release.
If approved, the Walterboro data center campus would be one of the largest in the country, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center.
What are the proposed data centers?
The large facilities, filled with rows of computer servers, data storage devices and networking equipment, are known for consuming high amounts of energy, leading to increases in power bills in surrounding areas more than an hour away.
The lawsuit says the proposed center would use the same amount of energy as about 800,000 homes, even though Colleton County has less than 40,000 people and far fewer households.
