Quick summary
A data center is a large facility filled with computers that run websites, applications, and artificial intelligence systems. These facilities operate 24 hours a day and require significant electricity and cooling systems to function. A developer has proposed a large-scale data center campus in Rural Hall. The proposal is under county review; nothing is final until public processes are complete and any required approvals are granted.
Location
This site is located near Glade Street and Bethania-Rural Hall Road, directly across from Town Hall on land that has previously been farmland.
Map: 8084 Glade St area — across from Rural Hall Town Hall
Project details
- Developer
- Drox Group LLC
- Location
- Rural Hall, Forsyth County
- Land size
- ~129 acres
- Buildings
- 4 large structures
- Total footprint
- ~1.3 million sq ft
- Utility infrastructure
- Includes utility infrastructure (substation)
- Intended use
- High-capacity data center (AI / computing)
- End user
- Not publicly disclosed
Timeline & status
Timeline
- Application filed: March 2026
- Rural Hall Town Hall: April 1, 2026 (6:00 PM)
- Planning Board: April 9, 2026 (4:30 PM)
- County Commissioner vote: Expected Spring 2026
Community response
- Petition opposing rezoning: 2,100+ signatures
- Early feedback reported as largely negative
- High expected turnout at public meetings
Potential negative impacts
- Continuous noise from cooling systems
- Light pollution
- High water usage
- Increased electricity demand
- Potential increase in utility costs
- Loss of agricultural land
- Property value concerns
- Construction traffic
Take action
What residents can do next
- Attend Town Hall: April 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM
- Attend Planning Board Meeting: April 9, 2026 at 4:30 PM
- Contact Forsyth County Commissioners
Sources
These sources include local reporting, public meeting resources, and county information used to build this page.
- Forsyth County — Board of Commissioners contact information
- WXII 12 — Rural Hall data center and town meeting coverage
- WGHP FOX8 — Local coverage of the Forsyth County proposal
- Greensboro News & Record — County review of the data center plan
- Greensboro News & Record — Column on commissioners and the proposal
- WFDD — Residents and commissioners on the proposal
- Reddit — r/winstonsalem: discussion on the Rural Hall data center proposal
- Data Center Dynamics — Reporting on Drox Group, project scale, and community petition
- Winston-Salem Journal — County review and project details
- Winston-Salem / Forsyth City-County Planning Board — Agendas and minutes
- City of Winston-Salem — 2026 City-County Planning Board items