June 8, 2026
Transylvania County Commissioner Jake Dalton (left) gives his perspective on controversial data centers coming to Transylvania County at the June 8 Board of Commissioners meeting. Jonathan Rich/Brevard Beagle
Jonathan Rich
BrevardBeagle.com
The hot topics of artificial intelligence data centers and federal opportunity zones were not listed on the Transylvania County Board of Commissioners’ agenda Monday afternoon, but they were discussed as part of public comment.
Owen Carson, candidate for Transylvania County Commissioner on the November ballot, raised the issue of opportunity zones during his three minutes of public comment time allotted to any local resident at the start of the meeting.
Last month the Commissioners nominated two areas of the county for consideration for the OZ federal tax incentive program which encourages long-term private investment through job creation, business growth and redevelopment.
The larger area encompasses Rosman, Balsam Grove and a portion of Lake Toxaway. The other includes a section of Brevard extending toward the Pisgah Forest intersection that is smaller, but has more properties connected to water and sewer and may be more likely to see investment from OZ project funding.
“For me, the question isn’t whether or not you represent opportunity zones,” Carson said during public comment, “it’s what kinds of investments we hope to attract into those zones. Do we want workforce housing, small-business growth, redevelopment of existing commercial properties or infrastructure improvements? Those are conversations worth having.”
Carson said the commissioners’ recommendations raised an important question: “If we hope to attract investment, do we have the infrastructure capacity needed to support the type of development we want? Opportunity zones may help attract capital, but infrastructure ultimately determines what can be built.”
The ecologist then encouraged the Board to clearly communicate the outcomes the county wants to achieve with this economic program.
“Doing so will help ensure that future investment aligns with our comprehensive plan, our investment plan, our infrastructure realities and the values of the community we all serve,” he said.
Later in the meeting when given time for the commissioner’s comments, Commissioner Jake Dalton responded.
“Opportunity zones have been around for over a decade, it’s not a new program” he began, “The first opportunity zone that was given in this county was up above Looking Glass Falls, but that was pretty much useless because it was up in the Pisgah National Forest and was protected and couldn’t be developed at all.”
“The two plots that were brought before us were designated by the state,” Dalton continued. “We don’t have any control over who, what, or where they go. We got two, which is unusual for a county our size, so we decided to let them review and recommend one or the other or both.”
Dalton further explained that the business infrastructure sought by the county was specified on the Transylvania County Economic Development’s website and that areas such as Pisgah Forest are more viable for funding because of their connection to water and sewer systems.
“He is right that the Pisgah Forest area looks to be more viable, however, I will remind that we spent tens of millions of dollars executing water and sewer down the 64 corridor and we are currently looking at water intake and watershed protection to supply that in the future and looking for a good expansion along those lines.”
In Monday’s period for public comment, Carson also brought the controversial topic of AI data center development before the Board of Commissioners.
Owen Carson speaks during public comment time at the June 8 Transylvania County Board of Commissioners meeting. Jonathan Rich/Brevard Beagle
Data centers are physical facilities housing computing and networking infrastructure to store, process, and manage data and applications. The structures typically require large square footage and involve significant demands on local electrical and water infrastructure.
Last month, Brevard City Council amended its Unified Development Ordinance to evaluate any potential proposals for data center development — of which there are currently none — on a case-by-case basis and explained how any attempt to ban or issue a moratorium on these types of businesses would be a discriminatory act prohibited by the state constitution.
Despite these assurances, some residents still believe developers might be tempted to build data centers on the limited available land in Transylvania County.
Monday night Carson voiced his concerns and asked the Board members present for their positions.
“AI data centers. There is wild speculation going on throughout the community and no definitive statement from the board on this subject,” Carson said. “The community would really love to know where you stand on data centers, how you feel about them, how well you understand them, have you conducted any cost-benefit analysis and whether or not this opportunity zones initiative, in tandem with the rural development authority, is pointing toward the desire for a data center in Transylvania County.”
Commissioner Dalton, who has decided not to run for reelection when his term expires this year, responded that artificial intelligence data centers are not coming to Transylvania County any time soon.
“All I’ll say on this is that it’s not happening,” Dalton chuckled before adding that the vacant Ecusta mill property had been considered for such a site years ago and local electrical companies stated then that they could not provide the capacity needed to operate such a facility.
“There are a lot of people out there who want to push rumors and hearsay. I will say one looked at the Ecusta property, but that was years ago before it was even normal to look at anywhere else and Duke Power said from the beginning ‘Can’t handle it.’ If they can’t handle it at Ecusta, I know Haywood (Energy) can’t handle it at the other end of the county,” Dalton explained. “I even had somebody tell me they were looking at the Bad Creek project and I just laughed. I was like, you’re looking at a 4,000 foot elevation drop and the money you would spend to level 100 acres to put one of those in there is absurd when they could just drop over into Greenville in Pickens County and build one for much less cost.”
“There are data centers in our county, but they’re not AI,” he continued. “You got court systems, you got county systems, even PARI up in Balsam Grove is considered, quote unquote, a ‘data center,’ so all data centers are not bad.”
Dalton stated he understood why some might think AI data centers were an attractive land use due to the sizeable tax base they would create, but he stressed those incentives are overshadowed by the pollution that industry creates.
“We don’t have product, we don’t’ have existing buildings, and we sure don’t have 100 acres of free land that’s developable,” he said, clearly stating his opposition.
While this exchange between public comment and the commissioner’s comments was a little pointed, it was not at all adversarial. After the meeting adjourned, Carson and Dalton shook hands and thanked each other for an honest public dialogue on both issues.
-In other developments, the Board will hold a pubic hearing on the proposed 2026-27 budget at their June 22 meeting and is scheduled to vote and approve it at that same meeting in advance of the July 1 deadline to do so. The July 1 and Aug. 10 meetings have been cancelled in advance to allow commissioners and staff to take vacation time or catch up on work from other projects.