Developers behind a massive Stokes County data center are reacting to a lawsuit challenging their plan.
In the suit, plaintiffs allege Stokes County didn’t follow state-mandated procedures when they approved a rezoning measure for the data center back in January. They’re asking a judge to void the county’s decision.
In a statement, Engineered Land Solutions spokesperson Pat Ryan said that the outcome “could mean no raises for teachers, higher taxes for residents as the county budget grows, and no chance at jobs for the many people who have reached out asking for them.”
Anne Harvey David, an attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center who is representing the plaintiffs, says she hasn’t seen evidence to support the company’s tax revenue claims. And she argues its response sidesteps the real issue.
“If this lawsuit is successful, it means the county broke the law," she says. "I think requiring them to be accountable and uphold the law is the threshold that we need to be aiming for here.”
Community reaction to the proposal has largely been negative. Hundreds of residents chanted “we don’t want this” as the county board voted to approve the project. Both incumbent commissioners running for re-election lost their seats in the March Republican primary.