Data center profile · East John St. and Campus Ridge Rd., south of I-485, Matthews, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina

Project Accelerate (Matthews, N.C.)

A proposed 600 MW (press) grid-powered data center campus on 123 wooded acres in Matthews, N.C., withdrawn in Oct. 2025 before any vote

Withdrawn, never approved. The developers withdrew their rezoning petition on Oct. 7, 2025, and the Board of Commissioners accepted the withdrawal unanimously on Oct. 13, 2025. No approval was ever granted, no other permit was filed, and no new application is on record.
600 MW
power the AP says the campus needed (up to)
press figure for total electricity, not IT capacity; the filings state no MW
123 acres
vacant, wooded site
zoned residential (R-12); industrial zoning was requested
$500,000
town contribution offered if rezoned
proposed, never adopted
999 to 1
mayor's description of public opposition
most he had seen in 12 years in office
OperatorEngineered Land Solutions (developer), with Crosland SE and Crow Holdings named as partners
CustomerNone named
Planned IT capacity480 MW at full build-out (our estimate from the company's 0.6 GW campus power figure)
Next stepNone scheduled; no new application on file
Permits

Permits checklist

1 withdrawn · 3 checked, nothing on file

The rezoning was the only approval sought, and it was never granted.

Risks

Why it stopped, what could revive it

Power

Power and the grid

Sources on record, size not disclosed

Getting on the grid

Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.

  1. Sept. 8, 2025
    Duke study under way
    The developer said a large-load study with Duke was in progress; commissioners asked Duke for a written summary, which was never produced. Company · Oct. 2026
  2. As of Oct. 2025
    No service agreement
    No service or interconnection agreement was ever signed. see Permits

What is next door

campus4.15 km · gas pipelinecampus4.15 km · gas pipeline

Distances from mapped lines and plants. OpenStreetMap · Oct. 2026

Money

Money on record

$500,000
town contribution offered
a rezoning condition, never adopted Company · Oct. 2026
$20,000
noise monitoring offered
a rezoning condition, never adopted Company · Oct. 2026
$14M to $18M
local revenue a year claimed at full build
developer says; no incentives were requested Company · Oct. 2026
$13M to $15M
yearly town tax revenue claimed by the developer at full build
Company · Oct. 2026
Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. Sept. 8, 2025
    Permits Joint public hearing on the rezoning; the hearing is closed and the petition goes to the Planning Board with no vote. News report · Sept. 2025
  2. Oct. 7, 2025
    Permits The developers withdraw the petition after the mayor and a commissioner say it faces overwhelming opposition. News report · Oct. 2025
  3. Oct. 13, 2025
    Permits Commissioners unanimously accept the withdrawal; no approval was granted. News report · Oct. 2025
  4. Jan. 9, 2026
    Site The AP reports the project as a 600 MW campus (press). News report · Jan. 2026
  5. April 8, 2026
    Site Leland, N.C. planning staff cite the Matthews case when adopting data-center rules. News report · Oct. 2026
The buildings

Specs

123 acres
six parcels owned by four landowners
Local government · Sept. 2025
R-12 to I-2 (CD)
zoning change requested, from residential to conditional general industrial
Local government · Sept. 2025
Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Developers
  • Engineered Land Solutions: co-applicant and developer
  • Matthews DC and East John Master Development: co-applicants
  • Crosland SE and Crow Holdings: partners named on the project website
Landowners
  • Lester and Mary Yandle LLC
  • Aspen Asset Group
  • The Mulvaney Group
  • Robert R. Featherstone
Decision-makers
  • Town of Matthews Board of Commissioners; Mayor John Higdon asked for the withdrawal
Utility
  • Duke Energy Carolinas
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

97 records from 17 documents

Drawn from news reports, public and commercial datasets, local government records, company statements, securities filings and state agency records, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 8Dataset 4Local government 2Company 2SEC filing 1State agency 1
Evidence

Every quote behind this page

Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.

Power (12)
  • Nearest gas pipeline: 4.15 km
    Measured on OpenStreetMap map data.
    OpenStreetMap · Oct. 2026
  • Registry status: No NC DAQ air permit or application for Project Accelerate / Matthews DC LLC found; the project is still at town rezoning stage (petition 2025-815, 123 acres along East John Street) with groundbreaking e
    “ECHO air pull at the Matthews point 35.117,-80.723 returned 18 facilities and the CWA pull 135 construction permits, all residential or commercial”
    State agency · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Utility: Duke Energy Carolinas
    “Directly adjacent to Duke Energy's Morningstar Tie Station and multiple 230kV transmission lines”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Power plan: grid
    “Project Accelerate will fund a new dedicated substation to handle its higher load, ensuring others in the area are not impacted”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • IT capacity: not stated
    “DOCUMENTED ABSENCE: no IT (critical) load figure appears in the Town staff report, the applicant FAQ, or any other source opened; the only numeric MW figure in circulation is a press-reported up-to-600 MW total requirement”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Utility service: not stated
    “DOCUMENTED ABSENCE: Duke Energy published no load figure, study result, or service commitment for this campus; commissioners requested a written Duke summary on 2025-09-08 and none was produced before the withdrawal”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • On-site generation: not stated
    “DOCUMENTED ABSENCE: the rezoning development notes list generators and battery/backup generation equipment as permitted accessory uses but state no on-site generation capacity”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Applicant stated a Duke Energy large-load study was under way and that the rezoning timeline was driven by Duke's study timeline; commissioners asked Duke Energy for a written summary of its service approach, which was n
    “Duke Energy's large-load study results must be acted on quickly. Zoning approval enables the project to move in sync with Duke Energy's timeline”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Stated campus size: 600 MW
    “a campus composed of five two-story buildings, substations, transmission infrastructure, solar fields and generators that required up to 600 megawatts of electricity”
    News report · Jan. 2026 · grade C
  • Utility: Duke Energy Carolinas (developer committed to fund required Duke Energy upgrades; a formal load study was still pending at withdrawal)
    “full responsibility for Duke Energy upgrades required for this project”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • Project Accelerate died at the land-use stage: the developer withdrew rezoning petition 2025-815 and the Matthews Board of Commissioners accepted the withdrawal on Oct 13, 2025. No Duke interconnection, service agreement
    “The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved a motion to accept the withdrawal of rezoning application 2025815”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • Interconnection status: No Duke service position was ever completed: at the Sep 8, 2025 Matthews hearing the developer said it was working with Duke Energy on a formal load study, would fund and build a dedicated substat
    “Developers reiterated they would fund and build a dedicated substation and are working with Duke Energy on a formal load study.”
    News report · Sept. 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (12)
  • rezoning conditions (proposed, never adopted): scope - permitted uses data center plus accessory uses: substations, transmission infrastructure, solar fields, battery/backup generation equipment, equipment yards, generat
    “The site may be developed with a data center including but not limited to the following accessory uses: substations, transmission infrastructure, solar fields, battery/backup generation equipment”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Fiscal claim stated: applicant claimed $13M-$15M per year in Town tax revenue at full buildout (conservative case)
    “it is estimated that Project Accelerate could provide $13M-$15M/year in annual taxes for the Town of Matthews and additional tax revenue to Mecklenburg County”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • facilities/interconnection agreement (proposed, not executed): cost responsibility 100% developer-funded: new dedicated substation, transmission lines, interconnection and all improvements Duke Energy requests
    “All project-attributable upgrades are 100% developer-funded via a Duke Energy Facilities/Interconnection Agreement”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • rezoning conditions (proposed, never adopted): condition offered - municipal contribution 500000 USD
    “As a condition of rezoning, a 2-acre site or $500,000 contribution will be made to the Town of Matthews to support overall municipal service needs”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • rezoning conditions (proposed, never adopted): condition offered - noise monitoring 20000 USD
    “we will contribute $20,000 to the Town of Matthews to provide a noise monitoring system to be placed along the property edge”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • incentives (finding): scope - finding no incentives were requested in the rezoning and none were granted; applicant stated incentives might be requested later, subject to Board of Commissioners approval
    “Incentives are not part of this rezoning request; however, we understand that incentives may be requested at a later date”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Applicant claimed $14-18M per year in local revenue at full buildout (FAQ section 08) and $13-15M per year to the Town in its conservative case; AP reported the project would have funded half the town budget. No incentiv
    “generating a potential $14-18 million (real estate and personal property) in annual local revenue at full buildout, with minimal additional service costs”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Tenant status: no tenant announced
    “if a tenant were not secured the developer would need a new rezoning to change uses”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Tenant status: none found - no end user was ever named for Project Accelerate
    “Little information is available about the applicants East John Master Development and Matthews DC LLC”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • petition withdrawal (disposition): termination - finding FINDING: no executed agreement exists for this campus; the rezoning petition was withdrawn before adoption, so no conditions, term, or termination clause ever beca
    “Town staff said the applicant requested the withdrawal to explore different options for the site”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • Tenants: None named; no tenant announced
    “the rezoning would be limited to data center uses; if a tenant were not secured the developer would need a new rezoning to change uses”
    News report · Sept. 2025 · grade C
  • rezoning conditions (proposed, never adopted): condition - use limitation rezoning limited to data center uses; any other use would require a new rezoning
    “Grant said the rezoning would be limited to data center uses; if a tenant were not secured the developer would need a new rezoning to change uses”
    News report · Sept. 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (19)
  • Name: Matthews data center proposal (Project Accelerate)
    “2025 815 Project Accelerate: Change in Zoning - Public Hearing Staff Report”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Code name: Project Accelerate
    “2025 815 Project Accelerate: Change in Zoning”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Current zoning: R-12 Residential
    “Current Zoning is R-12 Residential”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Zoning requested: I-2 (CD) General Industrial
    “Requested Zoning: I-2 (CD) General Industrial District”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Jurisdiction: Town of Matthews municipal conditional rezoning (NC G.S. 160D); Mecklenburg County has no zoning authority over the in-town site; no state siting approval required
    “The Applicants are looking to rezone the subject acreage in order to develop it as a data center and associated accessory uses”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • rezoning: public hearing held; hearing closed and petition referred to Planning Board for further review; no rezoning vote taken
    “Recommend keeping the public hearing open another month for updates to occur”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Original target date: not stated
    “Never approved, so no completion date exists; the applicant projected groundbreaking within about 18 months of a rezoning approval that never came, with total buildout in 3-5 years”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • all other permits: none filed or issued
    “Currently vacant and wooded”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Rezoning petition 2025-815 heard at a joint public hearing; hearing closed and petition referred to the Planning Board with outstanding applicant submittals; no vote taken
    “The board reached consensus to close the public hearing and have the application go to the Planning Board for further review”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Applicant withdrew the rezoning petition; Mayor Higdon announced the withdrawal the same evening
    “Plans for a controversial data center in Matthews have been called off. The announcement was made by the town's mayor Tuesday night”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Board of Commissioners unanimously accepted the withdrawal, closing petition 2025-815 with no approval
    “The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved a motion to accept the withdrawal of rezoning application 2025815”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • The Matthews case became a reference point for other NC towns: Leland planning staff cited the Matthews conversations when adopting proactive data-center regulations in 2026 (conditional zoning, 500-foot buffers, closed-
    “Conversations around data centers in other North Carolina towns, such as Matthews, initially brought the issue to the staff's attention”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Co-applicant Engineered Land Solutions is also the sponsor of a contested 1,844-acre data-center rezoning in Stokes County, NC, approved over planning board objections and later challenged in court - the sponsor remained
    “after a 3-2 commissioner vote approved 1,844 acres of rezoning for Engineered Land Solutions over planning board objections, residents and environmental groups filed suit”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Construction stage: none - rezoning petition 2025-815 was withdrawn and the Board of Commissioners accepted the withdrawal on Oct 13, 2025; the site remained vacant and wooded
    “The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved a motion to accept the withdrawal of rezoning application 2025815”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • Stage: cancelled
    “The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved a motion to accept the withdrawal of rezoning application 2025815”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • rezoning: withdrawal accepted by Board of Commissioners (unanimous)
    “The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved a motion to accept the withdrawal of rezoning application 2025815”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • Town of Matthews Board of Commissioners: Accept withdrawal of rezoning application 2025-815 (Project Accelerate)
    “The Matthews Board of Commissioners on Oct. 13 unanimously approved a motion to accept the withdrawal of rezoning application 2025815 for the proposed Accelerate/Crossland data center”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • rezoning: petition withdrawn by applicant
    “The developer has withdrawn its application. Thank you for your diligence and engagement through this process”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
  • Town of Matthews Board of Commissioners (joint public hearing): Public hearing on rezoning petition 2025-815, Project Accelerate (R-12 to I-2 CD, data center campus)
    “Matthews commissioners held a joint public hearing Sept. 8 on zoning petition 2025815, known as Project Accelerate”
    News report · Sept. 2025 · grade C
Site and other (17)
  • Construction stage: none - no approval was ever granted and no construction occurred
    “Currently vacant and wooded”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade A
  • Location: East John St and Campus Ridge Rd, south of I-485, Matthews, NC
    “123.02 acres located south of I-485 along East John St. and Campus Ridge Rd.”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Site acres: 123.02 acres
    “123.02 acres located south of I-485 along East John St. and Campus Ridge Rd.”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Parcel IDs: 21522101; 21522102; 21522104; 21522105; 21522106; 21522107
    “Parcel IDs# 21522101, 02, 04, 05, 06, 07”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Site condition: vacant and wooded
    “Currently vacant and wooded”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Land owners: Lester and Mary Yandle LLC; Aspen Asset Group LLC; The Mulvaney Group LTD; Robert R. Featherstone
    “Ownership: Lester and Mary Yandle LLC; Aspen Asset Group LLC; The Mulvaney Group LTD; Robert R. Featherstone”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Applicants: East John Master Development LLC; Matthews DC LLC; Engineered Land Solutions LLC
    “The Applicants (East John Master Development, Matthews DC LLC, and Engineered Land Solutions LLC) are looking to rezone the subject acreage”
    Local government · Sept. 2025 · grade A
  • Filing record: No SEC filing names any Project Accelerate sponsor entity: Form D searches return zero for Aspen Asset Group, Engineered Land Solutions, Matthews DC, and Mary Yandle, and no filing states any figure for th
    “Form D searches for each sponsor LLC returned 0 documents”
    SEC filing · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • County: Mecklenburg County
    “One member by each Town in Mecklenburg County: The Town of Cornelius, The Town of Davidson, The Town of Huntersville, The Town of Matthews”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Developer team: Crosland SE; Crow Holdings; Engineered Land Solutions
    “OUR TEAM - Development by Leading Industry Partners: Crosland SE, Crow Holdings, Engineered Land Solutions”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Current target date: not stated
    “Project cancelled by withdrawal in October 2025; no completion date applies”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Water use stated: closed-loop cooling; 20,000-50,000 gallons per day total stated
    “The data center will use a closed-loop cooling system, meaning water is filled once and then recycled within the system: Daily water use: 20,000-50,000 gallons per day”
    Company · Oct. 2026 · grade B
  • Mayor Higdon characterized the public response as 999 to one against - the most public opposition he had encountered in 12 years as an elected official; town meetings overflowed and messages were overwhelmingly opposed
    “he felt like the balance was 999 to one against”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Mayor Higdon stated he would not support another data-center proposal in Matthews and doubted the developers would resubmit the petition
    “He added that he would not support another data center proposal in town”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • No re-filing or new data-center application for the East John Street site located as of this date. At the withdrawal the applicant said it wanted to explore different options for the site and could not predict whether or
    “the applicant requested the withdrawal to explore different options for the site”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Data Center Dynamics covered the withdrawal under the headline: Project Accelerate data center proposal in North Carolina withdrawn - Developers to reconsider options
    “'Project Accelerate' data center proposal in North Carolina withdrawn - Developers to reconsider options”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Site acres: 123 acres
    “A developer originally wanted to turn 123 acres along East John Street near the Interstate 485 interchange into a data center”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C