{"id":2888,"date":"2026-07-08T09:05:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:05:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888"},"modified":"2026-07-08T09:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T09:05:49","slug":"data-center-developer-local-sc-government-skirted-public-input-residents-suit-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888","title":{"rendered":"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A group of residents sued a data center developer and the Spartanburg County government Monday, alleging necessary public input and transparency measures were sidestepped while seeking permission to build.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2887\">\u2018We know nothing\u2019 on Mitch McConnell\u2019s health condition, says fellow US senator<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The same organization of Upstate residents has also asked South Carolina\u2019s utility regulators to evaluate whether the developer\u2019s plan to power the data center with about 450 megawatts of its own natural gas meets state legal requirements.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Residents and local governments across South Carolina and the country have pushed back against rapid data center development, often citing concerns that the infrastructure needed to power AI and other digital services could use too much water, raise power bills or lead to noise pollution in rural communities.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit alleges Valara Holdings, the developer, applied for two minor land development permits instead of a major land development permit typically required for projects like industrial parks, big-box retail stores or apartment buildings.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The two smaller permits allowed the data center project to evade public scrutiny, said Frank Holleman, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. Holleman is representing the Spartanburg County residents.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people in Spartanburg feel they were not given full information, did not know what was happening until later in the process,\u201d Holleman said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Unlike smaller projects, a major land development in Spartanburg County requires a public panel to approve the permit, according to the local government\u2019s ordinance. Four buildings in the development will near 500,000 square feet, according to a permit application description.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The first application, filed and approved in summer 2025, requested redevelopment of a former industrial plant on the site, including \u201cinterior demolition and remodeling of the current infrastructure\u201d and \u201cthe addition of associated exterior equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The second pending application, submitted in April, includes four proposed buildings, a power yard, internal roadways, a site access road, electrical equipment houses and other updates, according to a permit description.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The plaintiff, Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County, wants the data center to obtain a major land development permit, rather than two for a minor development.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Valara Holdings, Spartanburg County and Spartanburg County\u2019s administrator are named as defendants in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for Spartanburg County did not respond to a call and email requesting more information.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>A message requesting more information sent to the email on NorthMark Strategies\u2019 website was not returned. NorthMark Strategies is the parent company of Valara Holdings.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The company answered questions from the public and journalists about the Spartanburg data center last month. When asked why the scope of the data center wasn\u2019t initially communicated, a speaker identified as just \u201cMike\u201d said the company properly notified governmental agencies about the size of the project.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe the message didn\u2019t get out properly,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know. Our initial submittal indicated such.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Spartanburg Herald-Journal identified the speaker as Mike Dobeck, vice president of real estate development with NorthMark.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2886\">Cyclosporiasis cases climb in US. What to know about symptoms, prevention<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Sarah Knox, director of external affairs for NorthMark, then said the company was trying to improve its communication with the public.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMike\u2019s 100% right that it\u2019s been communicated to some of the decision makers in the very beginning,\u201d Knox said. \u201cBut part of the reason I\u2019m here is to make sure that it gets communicated to you folks around town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit names three property owners living near the data center who it alleges are harmed by the development. One is Mark Felk, who has lived in his home 1,500 feet away from the proposed site for more than three decades. If given the opportunity to give public input, Felk and other Spartanburg County residents would have participated, the lawsuit reads.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Felk hasn\u2019t understood the full scope of the project due to how Valara attempted to permit the site, according to court filings.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot knowing this information causes Mr. Felk significant concern and takes away from his peace and solace,\u201d the lawsuit reads.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The $2.8 billion development project is being built at 4000 Pine Street in Spartanburg County, with construction continuing through 2028, according to news releases. The project, announced in April 2025, will create 150 permanent on-site jobs, according to a May 2026 news release from NorthMark. But an April 2025 announcement from Gov. Henry McMaster said the development would create \u201cat least 27 new jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>Residents seek more scrutiny over natural gas<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Concerned Citizens of Spartanburg County, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center, also want the state\u2019s utility regulators to scrutinize planned natural gas generators and turbines on the site.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>NorthMark said in a news release it will generate power using natural gas on-site for its data center.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Alongside the data center, Valara Holdings also wants to operate 45 natural gas-fuel generators and 11 natural gas turbines, according to permit applications with the state Department of Environmental Services. The turbines will generate more than 400 megawatts of electricity, and the permanent generators will create about 50 megawatts.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The group of residents, alongside the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said the planned natural gas generators and turbines require approval from the Public Service Commission under state law.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The organizations asked the Public Service Commission to require Valara Holdings to obtain a certificate of environmental compatibility and public convenience and necessity from regulators before continuing construction.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Valara Holdings asked for separate air permits for its natural gas projects in applications to the state Department of Environmental Services in 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Valara Holdings initially only asked the state Department of Environmental Services for a permit for 24 generators in 2025, totalling about 50 megawatts of power. The permit was approved in September 2025, according to the state agency. The developer then amended its request this spring to operate 21 temporary generators.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Then, Valara Holdings filed an application for another permit to build natural gas turbines, generating about 400 megawatts of power, in March 2026.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The generators and turbines will emit pollutants, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide, according to .<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2884\">Columns in Manhattan high-rise buckle, prompting evacuations<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spartanburg residents sued Valara Holdings claiming the developer used minor permits and avoided public review of planned data center and natural gas plant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says - US Moving Experts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says - US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spartanburg residents sued Valara Holdings claiming the developer used minor permits and avoided public review of planned data center and natural gas plant.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"US Moving Experts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-08T09:05:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"headline\":\"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T09:05:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888\"},\"wordCount\":1012,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888\",\"name\":\"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says - US Moving Experts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-08T09:05:49+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?p=2888#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"US Moving Experts\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/usmovingexpertss.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says - US Moving Experts","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says - US Moving Experts","og_description":"Spartanburg residents sued Valara Holdings claiming the developer used minor permits and avoided public review of planned data center and natural gas plant.","og_url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888","og_site_name":"US Moving Experts","article_published_time":"2026-07-08T09:05:49+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"headline":"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says","datePublished":"2026-07-08T09:05:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888"},"wordCount":1012,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888","name":"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says - US Moving Experts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png","datePublished":"2026-07-08T09:05:49+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1ec502ee00be598be927eea2173f9b29.png","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=2888#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Data center developer, local SC government skirted public input, residents suit says"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/","name":"US Moving Experts","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4595f9a47af262eb0de41137cae39b6","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com"],"url":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}