PointOne Lower Moncure Road Data Center (Lee County)

Timeline from the record

Newest first. Record entries come from the filings and reports the registry cites. Coverage entries are headlines from publisher feeds we monitor daily, linked to the outlet; last checked September 14, 2026.

1. June 8, 2026

   Proposed
   Permit application under preliminary review by the Sanford-Lee County Technical Review Committee. Source: Sandhills News

Opposition and litigation at this site

Partly. Both documented support and documented opposition to PointOne Lower Moncure Road Data Center (Lee County) in Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina appear in the record, with no clear majority position. Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA), a local economic-development group, publicly endorsed the project (2026-06-08) as 'responsible data center development' and said it worked with 'other community stakeholders' to address concerns in Lee County's development ordinances -- but the same statement acknowledges 'many have expressed concerns about the impact of data centers on local communities' without naming who or detailing the objections.

How the community has taken it

Reception is a sourced signal, not an editorial judgment: mixed reception means documented support and documented opposition both exist with no clear majority position on record.

Sanford Area Growth Alliance (SAGA), a local economic-development group, publicly endorsed the project (2026-06-08) as 'responsible data center development' and said it worked with 'other community stakeholders' to address concerns in Lee County's development ordinances -- but the same statement acknowledges 'many have expressed concerns about the impact of data centers on local communities' without naming who or detailing the objections. Using 'mixed' per the contract's guidance for friction-with-no-stated-reason. No formal public hearing record found in this source.

Source

Power and water

Central Electric Membership Corporation issued a 'will serve' letter; the application does not include on-site power generation.

Developer describes a one-time 250,000-gallon fill for a closed-loop system with no discharge, served by TriRiver Water; additional water for internal plumbing only.

Notes on the record

Applicant of record Jonathon Rhine; property owned by Cary-based Helix Ventures; the campus is reported to be operated by Dallas-headquartered CyrusOne. Phase 1 is roughly 56 acres and 300,000 sq ft of the 428.85-acre application, with a 90 MW IT load. About 150 residents spoke against it at a July 2026 county commissioners meeting. The $900M figure is the reported value of the Phase 1 building, not the whole 430-acre program.

Other sites within 30 miles

Distances are between recorded coordinates, many of which are a city or county centroid, so treat them as approximate. Cumulative load on one utility and one aquifer is the question a planning commission rarely asks.

• Deep River Data AI Data Center (Cumnock, Lee County) · Cumnock · Deep River Data6 mi · Proposed
• Natelli New Hill Digital Campus · New Hill · Natelli Holdings15 mi · Cancelled · 300 MW · Opposed

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