Dec. 21—The potential rezoning of hundreds of acres of a densely wooded area in Shady Spring to make way for a data center was met with stark opposition from residents during a Raleigh County Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday evening.
With overwhelming objections of Shady Spring residents ringing in their ears, the Raleigh County Planning and Zoning Commission members voted narrowly, 4-3, to recommend the proposal to the county commission with the committee's chairman, Mike Tyree, forced to vote to break the tie.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Raleigh County Commission is at 10 a.m. Jan. 9, in commission chambers on North Heber Street.
The proposed rezoning was brought to the zoning commission from the Greenbrier Land Company, which owns 721 acres in Shady Spring along Flat Top Road/ U.S. 19.
The company is requesting that the property be rezoned from R1, Rural Residential District, to B1, Commercial Business District, at the behest of an unnamed company that plans to build a data center on the property should the rezoning pass.
During the meeting, representatives with the Greenbrier Land Company spoke about the proposed use of the property.
Doug McElwee, the manager of Greenbrier Land Company, said the bulk of the property was sold to Greenbrier Land Company by John Hedrick in late 2022.
He added that the Shady Spring property was not even on the market when Greenbrier Land Company was approached by the company looking to build a data center on the property.
In addressing some of the concerns expressed by residents, McElwee said this type of development would be welcomed in most places.
"I can understand your concerns completely, but if a company were coming into my community, that other places in the nation would be — let me just say this: This company, if it were to come in here, you'd be very proud of it," he said. "It would provide jobs for your children."
Although the name of the interested developer was not disclosed due to NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), a rendering of the proposed data center was presented to zoning commissioners and the public.
The proposed rendering shows the development of eight data center buildings built throughout the more than 700 acres. Each building was accompanied by roughly 60 parking spaces, with around 480 total parking spaces throughout the property.
When pressed about the number of employees the data center would house, Raleigh County Assistant Administrator Billy Michael said they were not given that number, but the proposal indicated that the developer expected the site to see 200 vehicles per shift with a maximum of 600 vehicles per day.
All buildings will be built a minimum of 300 feet away from the property's border. Zoning commissioners said they recently extended the set-back requirement in the county's zoning ordinance in anticipation of the proposed data center as well as other potential similar projects. The previous set-back requirement for this type of business was 50 feet from the property line.
The property will be entirely fenced in with one main entrance, a construction entrance and an emergency entrance.
The main entrance will be located along Flat Top Road between Shady Spring Middle School and Shady Spring Elementary School.
The construction entrance would be located near the intersection of Flat Top Road and Cherry Creek Circle.
The emergency entrance would be located on the southeastern edge of the property along Joe Cooper Farm Road.
Also fielding questions during the meeting was Jina Belcher, executive director of the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority (NRGRDA).
Belcher said the NRGRDA was the "local intermediary" between the West Virginia Department of Economic Development and Raleigh County representatives.
"We serve as that middle economic development authority to navigate between companies locating into the region, the state and the locals to determine the highest and best use of property, infrastructure needs for properties, and then the ability to serve with the utility providers," she said.
Belcher said the NRGRDA is prepared to support the proposed business should the rezoning pass.
"This is a really tough project," she said. "It's something different. It's something we've never seen before in Raleigh County or even in the region. And so our stance on this is that should the county commission approve it, we'll stand ready to support that general area with infrastructure support because that's what we do."
The property is located among numerous residential developments along its borders, which was the cause of multiple objections from residents living in the area.
Ryann Allen said she chose to live in the area because businesses did not surround it, and with the zoning in place, she expected the area to remain this way.
"I bought my home in a neighborhood to raise my family so they can go outside and play, not being next to a business and certainly not to look out my front door and see a fence with concertina wire wrapped around it," Allen said.
On its western side, the property borders Flat Top Road/ U.S. 19 and sits across from Shady Spring Middle and Elementary schools, which are located less than half a mile apart.
The property's proximity to the schools was also a primary concern of residents, who cited safety as well as traffic issues on an already overburdened roadway.
Gary Nichols, the former principal of Shady Spring Middle School and Shady Spring resident, said he knows how chaotic traffic can get around the school without the addition of a new business.
"You're going to put an exit to a 600- or 400-employee business, right in between those two schools?" Nichols said. "We have to have a deputy sheriff out there, pretty much regular, to monitor traffic. I've been there for 15 years. You haven't even considered any of that."
Last year, the Raleigh County Board of Education had to construct an extended drop-off lane around Shady Spring Elementary School to alleviate the significant traffic along Flat Top Road during pick-up and drop-off times.
Joining Tyree to advance the vote to the county commission were Kevin Reedy, Gavin Ward and John Peplowski. As the chair, Tyree votes only in the instance of a tie.
Zoning commissioners opposed to the plan were Jim Wood, Tim Kosut and Ernie Parson.
Wood, who lives in Shady Spring near the area in question, said it was the public who swayed his decision.
"I really thought just knowing what I know, I would have voted probably for it tonight," Wood said. "But the whole public hearing is to hear the concerns."
Wood said he was personally in favor of the rezoning and the proposed business development, but felt the public didn't see it from that perspective.
"It was just such a close call," he said. "I felt like I had to listen to the public. It was just a tough call."
Tyree said he was unable to ignore the economic impact the rezoning would elicit, which is why he cast his tie-breaking vote in favor of the proposal.
"I understand it's an emotional thing," Tyree said. "But if you look at the whole county, you're taking a piece of property that's being right now taxed as managed timberland and transferring it to a multimillion-dollar commercial facility, which will pay over the years millions of dollars in tax revenue, plus create 400 or 600 good paying jobs in Raleigh County."
