A 123-acre data center could soon rise along East John Street in Matthews, but many residents aren’t convinced it belongs there.
At a packed community meeting Thursday night, developers with Project Accelerate fielded dozens of questions about water use, energy demand, noise and taxes. While the team promised the project would bring the town millions in tax revenue and operate under strict limits, most residents who spoke opposed it, raising concerns about safety, costs and how the project could change Matthews.
“We don’t need this,” one longtime resident told the crowd. “We have to ask ourselves, can we build a data center on this lot? Sure. Is that what we want? I don’t think so.”…