Data centers in Iredell County, North Carolina: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Compass Datacenters is building a five-building data center campus on about 350 annexed acres off Stamey Farm Road near Interstate 40, west of Statesville and about 49 miles northwest of Charlotte. The Statesville City Council voted 8-0 in September 2025 to rezone the land for the Dallas-based developer, which has since annexed and approved the site, with power to come from a nearby Duke Energy substation. Compass says the plan calls for five 270,000-square-foot buildings and will employ about 200 people.

The vote came over neighbors' objections: 17 residents urged denial at the hearing and five spoke in favor. "Please do not be swayed by a big carrot of corporate America. Please consider the people that are in this room," said real estate broker Jade Benfield. "I want my grandchildren and children to grow up in a manner I grew up in, where I can swing from an oak tree and breathe clean air," said nurse Sheila Shuford. Compass's Brett Collard said operations "will not burden the (electrical) grid or taxpayers."

A year later, the city changed course for future projects. After a packed August 10, 2026 hearing, the council unanimously approved a 180-day moratorium on new data center applications, adopted on second reading on September 14; the Compass project, already approved, is exempt. The moratorium runs through mid-March 2027 while staff draft new rules, including whether data centers should need case-by-case council approval rather than being allowed by right. The rules go first to the Planning Board, then to the council.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.