If Amazon deserves a Deal,  so do the people who live here!

PETITION TO THE RICHMOND COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
AND ROCKINGHAM CITY COUNCIL

REGARDING DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT IN RICHMOND COUNTY

We, the undersigned residents of Richmond County, North Carolina, respectfully ask our elected officials to take action regarding the construction and operation of data centers in our county.

WHEREAS, residents oppose the construction and operation of the Amazon data center and additional data centers in Richmond County, including within municipal jurisdictions;

WHEREAS, data centers are being planned or developed in Richmond County, including known projects associated with Amazon, Digital Realty, and Terra Nexus;

WHEREAS, Richmond County has faced serious health and employment challenges, and residents want economic development that provides lasting local jobs without adding unnecessary pollution or burdens to our communities;

WHEREAS, Richmond County has experienced the effects of high polluting industries, while residents face serious health concerns, low life expectancy, and a shortage of doctors; examples include, 17.8% of Richmond county workers are disabled before they reach retirement age, Richmond county has the 2nd highest “Age adjusted" all cause cancer deaths in the state, life expectancy in Richmond County is the 3rd lowest in the state (with an average life expectancy of only 70.5 years while large cities are over 80 in the state), and inadequate access to medical care because there are 6,110 patients per primary care doctor in Richmond county while the statewide average is 1,410 patients per doctor; community leaders have done nothing to address these issues;

WHEREAS, the Richmond County Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) allows data centers in Heavy Industrial zoning to be “permitted by right”, which limits the ability of elected officials and residents to review and respond to future industrial development;

WHEREAS, under Project Blue Marlin, Richmond County authorized a 50% annual cash grant in Amazon's real estate taxes and a 65% annual cash grant in personal property taxes for 20 years;

WHEREAS, Richmond County citizens are being asked to bear the impacts and burdens associated with these developments, and we believe citizens deserve the same consideration for tax relief that has been given to the companies receiving these incentives;

THEREFORE, WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, DEMAND:

The County and City carefully review current and proposed data center projects and their impacts on residents:

1)that Our elected officials protect the health, safety, property and quality of life of Richmond County residents by enacting a 12 Month Moratorium for future data center development and during that year enact reasonable zoning laws that will restrict the building of data centers.
2)that the County Commissioners amend or repeal the UDO provisions that allow data centers and other industrial uses to be “permitted by right” in a timely matter once the NC General Assembly ends the "downzoning rule" against it in Senate Bill 382 (enacted as Session Law 2024-57) is amended or removed. Anyone can buy land that is zoned Heavy Industrial (H-1) in Richmond County and build a Data Center by that ordinance.
3)that the Project Blue Marlin economic incentives agreement be met with just taxation; to remedy that Richmond County residents demand the same tax advantages given to Amazon by issuing residents annual cash grants equal to 50% of real property taxes and annual cash grants equal to 65% of personal property taxes for taxes paid for the next 20 years.

SIGNATURES

By signing this petition, I voluntarily express my support for the requests stated above.