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COUNTY ISSUES CLARIFICATION REGARDING POTENTIAL DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT

In response to recent questions and requests for clarification regarding property in the Charleston area and speculation about a potential development, Adam Lewis, Executive Assistant to the Bradley County Mayor, issued the following statement on behalf of Bradley County.

“At this time, there is no rezoning application, site plan, development proposal, or other official request pending before Bradley County for the property in question,” Lewis said.

“The county was contacted by a legal representative seeking information about the county’s zoning and development process for a particular area of property. As we routinely do, county staff explained the applicable process, including the steps required if someone were to pursue a rezoning request or development proposal. Since that conversation, the county has not received any formal application or additional project information.”

“We are also aware that an entity has contacted some property owners in the area regarding the possible purchase of property,” Lewis said. “Those discussions are private negotiations between the entity and the individual property owners and do not involve Bradley County. Our awareness of those contacts comes from conversations with property owners who have advised county officials that they have been approached. Beyond that, the county has no knowledge of the entity’s specific plans, timeline, or intentions.”

“It’s important to distinguish between private land acquisition efforts and an official development proposal,” Lewis said. “Property owners, developers, engineers, attorneys, and others routinely contact county staff to understand zoning requirements and permitting procedures. Likewise, companies may explore potential sites or speak with landowners before deciding whether to pursue a project. Neither of those activities means a development is officially proposed or pending before the county.”

“If a rezoning request or development proposal is submitted in the future, it will follow the county’s established public process,” Lewis said. “That includes the filing of an application, review by county staff, public meetings before the Planning Commission, and, where required, consideration by the County Commission. Those meetings are open to the public, and the applicable documents become part of the public record.”

“The county recently adopted regulations addressing data centers, and those standards would apply to any qualifying project if and when an official application is submitted,” Lewis said. “At this time, however, there is no pending application for the county to evaluate under those regulations.”

“As of today, there is simply no official project before Bradley County related to this property,” Lewis said. “If that changes, the proposal will move through the county’s established public review process, where it will be subject to public notice, public discussion, and the applicable review and approval requirements.”