PROJECT IRON SPURForsyth County · Petition F-1669
The Commissioners vote Thursday, July 30, 2026 at 6:00 PM. That is the night to show up and speak.

Help Support Project Iron Spur.

The Forsyth County Commissioners have the final say on rezoning petition F-1669 in Rural Hall, a project that would bring millions a year in new tax revenue for schools, first responders, and county services. They vote on or around July 30, and a few honest sentences from real residents, sent now, are what move the seven votes that decide it.

Write your message → Meeting dates Sign the petition
The project in plain terms

What is Project Iron Spur?

It is a proposed data center campus on a 144 acre site in Rural Hall: three two story buildings set well inside the property, wrapped by a large preserved natural buffer and a public recreation area. The land already sits in an industrial setting, next to active rail, a concrete plant, a mulching facility, and dumpster services.

  • Three buildings, two stories each. About 187,050 square feet per floor, set hundreds of feet back from homes and tucked behind the existing treeline.
  • About 35 acres of preserved natural buffer, plus a 17 acre public outdoor recreation area.
  • Closed loop cooling. The cooling water recirculates in a sealed system, so it does not draw down the public water supply.
  • A 60 decibel limit at the property line, roughly the level of normal conversation, with sound baffled equipment.
  • The power is already here. The site sits beside an existing 230 kV substation and transmission, which is the main reason it works for this use.
  • A $3 billion to $6 billion investment built over three to four years, with almost no new demand on schools or county services.
Aerial site plan of Project Iron Spur showing three buildings set inside the parcel, a large preserved natural buffer and public recreation area along the neighborhood edge, storm ponds, and an on site substation
The filed site plan. The three buildings sit toward the interior, with a roughly 35 acre preserved buffer and a public recreation area facing the neighborhoods, storm ponds, and the substation set next to existing power infrastructure.
$8.5M–$13M
a year in new property tax for Forsyth County, at full buildout
~345
homes get built here instead if the rezoning is denied
$5,800
estimated yearly homeowner savings from data center taxes (Loudoun County, VA)
4 of 7
commissioner votes needed to approve it on July 30
Latest · June 22, 2026

The Town of Rural Hall withdrew its opposition and now supports Project Iron Spur.

By Resolution 912, adopted June 22, the Town Council superseded its earlier opposition (Resolution 901) and affirmatively expressed support for the project, citing the developer's commitment to voluntarily annex the campus into Rural Hall.

How we got here

The developer did the work to get it right.

This plan did not arrive finished, and it was never meant to. From the first filing in February 2026, the team treated it as a conversation, holding community presentations, meeting with a steering committee of neighbors and community members, working through staff review, and refining the design again and again to make it stronger. Many of the improvements were voluntary, well beyond what the rules required.

What changed

  • Cut from four buildings to three
  • Relocated the substation away from homes, next to existing Duke Energy infrastructure
  • Shifted the buildings north, away from the neighborhoods
  • Lowered the height of Building 1
  • Acquired additional land to make room
  • Added a 17 acre public outdoor recreation area

Voluntary conditions

  • A 60 decibel noise limit at the property line, below HUD thresholds
  • Closed loop cooling
  • Lighting restrictions
  • Screening, fencing, and buffers
  • A decommissioning plan

The developer put these conditions forward voluntarily. They are enforceable, they run with the land, and changing them later would require public approval. That good-faith effort is why the Town of Rural Hall reversed its position and now supports the project.

The three biggest questions

Noise, power, and water, answered.

These are the concerns people raise most. The plan was built to address each one head on.

Noise

The plan caps sound at 60 decibels at the property line, about the level of normal conversation, using sound-baffled equipment set deep inside the site. With the added setbacks, most of the property line is expected to sit below that.

Power

This site was chosen because the power is already here, next to an existing 230 kV substation and transmission. Electricity rates in North Carolina are regulated by the state, not set locally, and lawmakers are advancing ratepayer protections, including the Ratepayer Protection Act, so that large users pay for the power they use rather than shifting costs onto households. Duke Energy has also said protecting existing customers is a priority.

Water

The campus uses closed-loop cooling, which recirculates its water rather than consuming it, so its day-to-day draw is a small fraction of what people picture. And the capacity is there. The regional water system can treat about 91 million gallons a day and uses roughly 40 million now, leaving about 51 million a day available, figures discussed at the Planning Board meeting.

Where things stand

The decision is the Commissioners', and it is close.

What it would bring is significant. The project is projected to generate millions a year in new property tax for Forsyth County, the kind of commercial revenue that funds schools, teachers, fire, and EMS without adding the demand that hundreds of new homes would. The timing matters. The county is stretched thin, the school system is working through a serious budget shortfall, and public safety competes for the same limited dollars. That money has to come from somewhere. The usual options are higher taxes on homeowners or new commercial investment, and with the state now moving to limit how much counties can raise property taxes, an opportunity of this scale matters more than ever. Through voluntary annexation into Rural Hall, the Town would share directly in that revenue.

That is exactly why your voice matters right now. The opposition has been loud and organized. The Board needs to hear from supporters before they vote, in genuine, individual messages, not a stack of identical form letters.

One thing to know before you write

  • Do not copy and paste. When officials get the same words fifty times, they count it as one voice and move on.
  • Use your own words. A few honest sentences carry more weight than a polished essay everyone sent.
  • One person, one email. Ten separate emails from ten people beat one email signed by ten.
  • Always say who you are and where you live. That tells them you are a local voice.
Our focus should remain on responsible growth that delivers net value which equals more jobs, stronger rural tax bases, and U.S. leadership in AI infrastructure.
Jason Saine, former North Carolina state representative who authored the state's data center law, on North Carolina's data center policy
Take action in about 5 minutes

Send your message down the line.

Start with the Commissioners. The builder below drafts a message in your own voice from the points you pick. Edit it so it sounds like you, then send it.

1
Most important

Email the Forsyth County Commissioners

They cast the deciding vote on July 30. The builder below writes your message from the points you pick. Make it sound like you, then send it through the county's website in two taps.

Suggested subject: Please support Project Iron Spur (Petition F-1669)
Open the county form ↗ Copied
  1. Fill in the fields above and pick a reason or two, then edit the draft so it sounds like you.
  2. Tap Copy my message to put it on your clipboard.
  3. Tap Open the county form. On the county page, check all seven commissioners, paste your message into the box, add your name and email, and submit.

This goes through the county's own website, so it works on any phone or computer with no email app needed. Tapping Open the county form also copies your message, so you can paste it right in, and remember to check all seven boxes there.
The seven commissioners: Don Martin (Chair), Gloria Whisenhunt, Richard Linville, Gray Wilson, Tonya McDaniel, Malishai Woodbury, and Dan Besse. Commissioners' Office: (336) 703-2020.

2
Now on your side

Thank the Town of Rural Hall

On June 22 the Town Council adopted Resolution 912, withdrawing its opposition and supporting Project Iron Spur. A short thank-you, plus a note encouraging them to keep working toward the voluntary annexation agreement, helps hold that momentum. Copy the message and the addresses below, paste them into an email, and send.

Addresses copied Message copied

Open a new email, tap Copy the addresses and paste into the To line, then tap Copy the message and paste into the body, and send. This works on any phone or computer.
Goes to: Mayor Terry Bennett and Council (mayor@ruralhall.com, manager@ruralhall.com, aring@ruralhall.com, mwoodcock@ruralhall.com, mlane@ruralhall.com, nhorn@ruralhall.com).

3
Add your name

Sign the petition in support

A neighbor started a petition on Change.org so the Board can see how many residents stand behind this project. Adding your name takes just a few seconds. You can also sign anonymously. When you sign, just uncheck the box that displays your name, and your signature stays private.

Sign the petition on Change.org ↗

Do this too, if you can

An individual email to the Commissioners (Step 1 above) carries more weight than a signature. The petition shows breadth; your own email shows a real local voice. Both together are strongest.

Be in the room

Meeting dates and how to speak.

It comes down to one night. The Board holds the public hearing and votes on July 30 at 6:00 PM, and that is when supporters need to be in the room. You do not have to speak to make a difference, but if you want to, here is exactly how.

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2026 · 6:00 PM

The public hearing and the vote

This is the formal hearing where anyone can speak on Petition F-1669, and the day the Board decides. Speaking time is limited, so arrive early. Even if you do not speak, a full room of supporters carries weight. This is the one to be in the room for.

HOW TO SPEAK · TWO WAYS

Public comment

In person: complete a speaker card and hand it to the Clerk to the Board before the meeting begins. By phone: call (336) 422-1200 on the day of the meeting to be placed in line. The county lists a 1:45 PM call-in for afternoon meetings, so for the July 30 evening meeting, confirm the time on the posted agenda. Keep it to three minutes, and lead with your name and where you live.

WHERE

Forsyth County Government Center

201 North Chestnut Street, Winston-Salem. The July 30 meeting is in the evening at 6:00 PM. Agendas are posted the Wednesday before each meeting, so confirm Iron Spur is on the July 30 agenda before you go.

Questions about dates, speaking, or anything else? Reach the project team below.

The case in plain terms

Reasons you can use: pick what speaks to you.

Put any of these in your own words. One or two that genuinely matter to you are more persuasive than a long list. The numbers come from the project's own analysis and public studies.

See it for yourself

There is a working example about an hour away

Apple's data center in Maiden, North Carolina is the largest taxpayer in Catawba County. Local officials there credit it with lower taxes for residents and a new fire station, in a town about the size of Rural Hall, and it employs people without flooding the schools. Drive out to Startown Road in Maiden, 28650, and see for yourself how a facility of this scale fits next to a small town.

Get directions ↗

Leave the technical specifics (power consumption, water numbers, generator and permit details) to the project team. They have verified data. If you are asked something you are not sure about, point the question to the team rather than estimating.

Read for yourself

Worth reading before you decide.

A few pieces that look honestly at what data centers actually mean for a community, the grid, and the tax base.

87,000+North Carolina jobs supported
$12.2Badded to state GDP
$939Min state and local taxes

North Carolina's data center industry, 2023. Figures from a PwC study commissioned by the Data Center Coalition.

The Wall Street Journal

The teachers getting $50,000 bonuses thanks to a massive Meta data center

A Louisiana parish used data center revenue to pay teacher bonuses of up to about $50,000. A concrete look at what it can do for a rural community.

Read ↗
The Atlantic

The data-center panic is overblown

Weighs the claims that data centers guzzle water and strain grids, and finds the alarm overstated.

Read (gift link) ↗
Charlotte Business Journal

Inside Duke Energy's plan to control costs amid surging demand

How Duke Energy intends to meet Carolina power demand while protecting existing ratepayers.

Read ↗
National Taxpayers Union Suggested

Taxpayers can be victors, not victims, in the AI revolution

How data center revenue let places like Loudoun County cut residential taxes.

Read ↗
Questions?

Talk to the project team.

We are glad to answer anything, in person or by phone. Reach out anytime.

Michael Foess, PE, PMP

Montrose LLC
📧 michael@themontroseteam.com
☎ 704-828-6096 (o)

Aaron Sloan

Entitlement Manager · Montrose LLC
📧 asloan@themontroseteam.com
☎ 704-828-6096 (o)
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