2026 Stokes County Data Center Rezoning  Procedural Safeguards

2026 Stokes County Data Center Rezoning Procedural Safeguards 
Given the high public interest in data centers, the Stokes County Board of Commissioners, in consultation with community stakeholders, commits to provide additional ways for the public to provide input regarding a proposed data center project in Stokes County. These safeguards supplement, but do not replace, any due process already required by State statutes or local ordinances. Except to the extent a safeguard is independently required by law, these additional 
measures are voluntary and are not legally binding upon the County. Any failure to comply with a voluntary safeguard set forth in this document that are not independently required by law shall not, by itself, affect the validity of any decision made by the Board of County Commissioners. 

For the 2026-7 proposed data center rezoning, the County will take the following steps: 

1. Public Notice and Access to Information 
• Provide clear public notice of all hearings and meetings related to the rezoning, including a detailed description of the subject of the hearing and meeting.  
• Make a public comment submission portal available online prior to the public hearing. 
• Post hearing materials online at least 10 days before the hearing. Materials received by the County after the initial posting will also be posted online, to the extent reasonably possible, and the County will identify materially revised or newly submitted materials. 
• Make hearing materials available for in-person review at County offices during normal business hours at least 10 days before the hearing. 
• Record hearings through video or audio and maintain recordings, minutes, written comments, submitted materials, and speaker sign-up information as part of the public record, consistent with applicable law. 

2. Public Hearing Scheduling and Board Deliberation 
• Schedule a public hearing on the rezoning as a special called meeting on a date other than the County Commissioners’ regularly scheduled meetings. 
• The County Commissioners will not deliberate and vote on a proposed rezoning on the same night as the public hearing. Instead, they will deliberate and vote on the proposal during their next regularly scheduled meeting after the public hearing. 

3. Fair Public Participation 
• Post this document outlining procedural safeguards online at the same time the County notices the public hearing. 
• Apply clear and consistent speaking rules to all participants.  
• Accept written comments before and during the public hearing and include them in the public record. 
• Schedule the public hearing to last for three hours for public comment.  
• Allow members of the public to sign up in advance for speaking times during one of six thirty-minute blocks. Speaker slots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• Allow members of the public who do not sign up in advance to sign up on the night of the public hearing. Speakers who do not sign up in advance may be heard during unused slots in a thirty-minute block or if scheduled speakers conclude their comments before the end of a block. The County cannot guarantee that every person who signs up on the night of the hearing will be given time to speak. 
• Keep speaker sign-up open until public hearing attendees have had a reasonable opportunity to register to speak. 
• Give each member of the public three minutes to speak during the public hearing. This time limit may be adjusted as needed, but the Board will seek to provide equitable time to each speaker. 
• In addition to the three hours reserved for public comment, provide reasonable time for County staff and the applicant to make presentations. 
• Demonstrate respect for community members and their viewpoints. 

4. Venue and Overflow Accommodations 
• Hold the public hearing in the largest reasonably available venue, with consideration to security and technology limitations and requirements.  
• Provide overflow accommodations if attendance exceeds room capacity, including audio/video access where feasible. To the extent a public meeting is conducted at the Reagan Building (the Administration Building) located at 1014 Main Street in Danbury, the County will make reasonable efforts to provide overflow accommodations in the third-floor conference room. 
• Ensure overflow attendees have the same opportunity to hear the proceedings and participate.  
• Ensure the venue is ADA accessible.

You may download a copy of the procedures here.

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