“We will not talk without the direction of leadership,” said Brown. “We will not make any decisions without,”
A protester yelled out.
“We will not be making any decisions today,” Brown said.
The announcement prompted frustration from residents of all ages who had prepared to voice concerns about the potential impact of the development on nearby neighborhoods and infrastructure. Opponents of the rezoning proposal have raised questions about transparency, environmental concerns and the long-term effects on the surrounding area.
City officials did not immediately indicate when or if the proposal would return for consideration.
The meeting was originally scheduled to consider a rezoning request from Saxum to change the area on Forrest Avenue Extension from a commercial to an industrial site to accommodate a new data center.
Saxum’s lawyer, Robert Ireland, was present for the meeting and asked the Planning Board committee to postpone the request to a later date. Ireland also addressed concerns about the negative impacts of the proposed data center.
“The success of a data center in Jackson will depend on establishing the kind of public-private partnership where the end user listens to and is responsive to those concerns,” said Ireland.
Mississippi has more than 20 data centers planned, according to the site aterio.io.
Jennifer Lott, a Madison resident, attended the meeting. Lott, a new homeowner who suffers from asthma and receives allergy shots twice a week, said the data center will affect residents' health.
“I’m fearful for our environment,” said Lott. “These people are about to get so many more health problems due to this data center.”
Lott criticized city officials, saying they should focus on helping the state instead of building data centers. She accused them of a lack of transparency.
“You're redlining people being able to talk in data centers and then postponing meetings when everybody is already here.”
Thomas Cheatham, a lifelong resident of Forrest Avenue for 42 years, said the data center will disrupt the livelihoods of residents.
“They should have heard the concern of the people and they did not,” said Cheatham. “I'm not sure whether they put money ahead of people, but you can't put money ahead of people. That’s maybe what they have done.”
Matt Casteel, the owner of wurmworks, whose farm is located on the planned construction site, pointed to the potential strain on city resources.
“The evidence is clear. Water rates go up, power rates go up, water quality is an issue,” said Casteel. “And in a city that's already stressed and our water system is already at a tough point. We can't, we can't do this.”
Casteel echoed concerns about the lack of transparency from city officials.
“We want to have a conversation, but it was their choice to this point to not include us in that conversation,” said Casteel. “And this, at our first chance to have a voice, what did they do? They chose to shut it down. And I think that tells you all you need to know.”
The city will hold a public meeting focusing on zoning for the proposed data center at Jackson City Hall on June 22.
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