SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Spartanburg County Council has taken the first of three votes on a development agreement for the $2.8 billion NorthMark data center going up on South Pine Street, giving the county more say over how the project is finished and inspected.
The 4-1 vote came at a special meeting on Oct. 22. Chairman Manning Lynch and council members Grant DeShields, Paul Abbott and Jack Mabry voted yes. Monier Abusaft voted no, saying environmental protections he had discussed with the company did not make it into the final draft. Jessica Coker was absent.
The agreement adds to a 2025 tax break, set up as a fee in lieu of taxes, that drew NorthMark Strategies to the county. Valara Holdings LLC and Numara LLC, two companies tied to NorthMark, are parties to it.
Under the draft, the company must document that it follows the county’s performance zoning standards for noise, landscaping, lighting and glare. It also must hold a community meeting each year and file yearly reports on investment, construction progress, water, power and gas demand, and jobs. In exchange, the county would speed up its review of development approvals.
The project, on the former Kohler plant site, includes a natural gas power plant of roughly 450 megawatts. County leaders want an air quality monitor set up east of the site and have put that request to state environmental regulators. Two more readings are needed, and DeShields said he hopes the deal is final before Christmas.
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