The Wilmington Planning Commission has decided to temporarily halt the approval process for a proposed Amazon data center after residents voiced numerous concerns about its potential effects on the community. At a Tuesday meeting, over 40 individuals spoke out against the plan, which envisions a huge 471-acre complex near homes, businesses, and farmland off US-68 in Wilmington. According to FOX19, one resident lamented the lack of clarity and engagement, stating, "Our efforts to obtain clarification and engage in dialogue have not resulted in meaningful responses that has made it difficult to understand how certain decisions were reached and whether all procedural requirements were met."
Despite the promise of a $4 billion investment from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the creation of about 100 permanent jobs, some locals remain unconvinced of the benefits for their community. As conveyed in an interview by FOX19, a concerned resident questioned, "I don’t think it’s right to all of these people who have lived here for all of these years like myself who have invested our life savings into this farm to build something like this right here... I don’t see the upside to this, I see this as more of an experiment."
Central to the residents' apprehension are the environmental ramifications of the site, particularly the low-frequency noise and air pollution expected to come from 252 diesel generators planned for the facility. One resident expressed to FOX19 the projected impact of these generators: "According to the planning commission, each one will cycle for a half an hour every week. That is eighteen hours a day, seven days a week, of at least one of these beasts running."
In response to the uproar, Amazon representatives present at the commission meeting were unable to furnish sufficient answers to concerns over cooling mechanisms, generator types, and overall environmental impact. Jessica Sharp, a local resident and organizer of the Facebook group "Wilmington Residents for Responsible Development," was quoted by Journal-News demanding transparency, "We want to know what the cooling mechanisms are going to be. What type of generators will be used? What are the impacts to traffic in and around the county?" In light of these unresolved issues, the Planning Commission has chosen to review the project further before taking any action on the proposal.
