Real estate development company Natelli Investments LLC filed a land use amendment, rezoning, and annexation request with the Town of Apex to move forward in the process of building a data storage facility on Tuesday.
The company is proposing that the facility be built on a 190-acre property on Shearon Harris Road in New Hill, not far from Duke Energy’s Harris Nuclear Plant.
The property is currently in an unincorporated area and zoned for residential use. They are calling it the New Hill Digital Campus, “proposed in a section of the community that has been identified for industrial employment in the town’s long-range 2045 future land use plan”.
According to Natelli Investments, the campus will support the processing and storage requirements of digital applications for residents in Apex and the greater Triangle area.
The developer said the campus will consist of buildings housing computer servers, back-up generators and water storage. The plant would use water from treated wastewater, and the data center would draw power from Duke Energy’s power grid.
WRAL spoke with several New Hill neighbors, many of them living in the Jordan Pointe community not far from the proposed site for the data center, who expressed major concerns about the plans. Those concerns include worries about noise and light pollution, a strain on power and water sources, increased traffic and increased utility costs.
A large group of residents attended the August 26 Apex Town Council meeting wearing red shirts to express a collective protest against the proposed facility, and shared their concerns with the council in a speech.
“Let’s find an alternative site for this data center that doesn’t include unnecessary human costs,” said Jodan Pointe resident Doug Stewart in the speech.
However, the Natelli Investments team has vowed “the facility will meet all land use requirements, including noise, lighting and landscaping standards.”
“The New Hill Digital Campus is an ideal use for this property and the local community,” said Michael Natelli, Executive Vice President for Natelli Investments, in a statement Tuesday. “Data Storage Facilities are modest users of public facilities. Not only do they generate far less traffic than residential communities, but they create high-wage technology jobs and strengthen the technology eco-system in their region.”
Jordan Pointe resident Jordan Macaione told WRAL News on Wednesday that she isn’t buying it.
“It’s too much,” Macaione said. “This neighborhood has already seen so much growth. I’m not sure that this particular area can handle the added strain on what we have. The roads are already crazy as it is. My concern is that once they get it built and get it done, no one is going to enforce any rules on them.”
She is not alone.
“My concern is higher utility bills, noise, and ugliness,” said Jordan Pointe resident Miriane Portes. “We already have a huge problem with the sewer and we don’t want another one. Obviously, we’re going to fight it as much as we can, but I’m a little cynical, and I don’t think we’re going to be able to stop it.”
WRAL News reached out to Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert to learn his thoughts on the proposal now that the plans are filed with the town. In a statement, Gilbert said in part:
“To my knowledge, Natelli Investments has been in the pre-application phase with our staff, which includes conducting a required neighborhood meeting. My understanding is that this has already taken place. The developer is still doing their due diligence, as this is just the first step of a request for a rezoning approval process.”
He said at this stage, he is not in a position to share details about the proposal itself but emphasizes “public input is an important part of the process, and residents will continue to have opportunities to share their perspectives.”
The Natelli Investments team said it plans to continue to hold community meetings to invite public feedback. If plans are approved, the project is slated to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.