A dated record of the land acquisition, county zoning process, lawsuit, public disclosure, and later developments.
SDCL's complaint attaches a letter it says was issued by the county planning director stating that identified parcels were zoned I-1 and that I-1 was appropriate for a large-scale data center. The letter remains part of the litigation record pending direct review of the exhibit and any county response.
Sources:MID-004
The verified complaint states that SDCL entered an option agreement to acquire approximately 306.23 acres for a large-scale data center and associated infrastructure.
Sources:MID-004
The complaint states that SDCL acquired the property for $19,904,950. The filing says nearly all of the property was then zoned I-1 General Industrial.
Sources:MID-004
The lawsuit describes a Regional Planning Commission discussion that added data-center definitions to a cryptocurrency-related zoning amendment. The legal significance of the Commission's action and whether a recommendation was properly made are disputed in the case.
Sources:MID-004
The complaint reproduces a notice for an April 20 public hearing describing cryptocurrency mining, data centers, AI data centers, server farms, or server clusters as a use permitted on review in the I-1 district. SDCL later alleges the notice did not describe the amendment ultimately adopted.
Sources:MID-004
The County Commission approved a substitute amendment 14-0. The adopted framework restricts data centers and cryptocurrency mining to the I-2 Special Impact Industrial District and imposes 3,000-foot separation requirements from specified zoning districts and existing residences, schools, and churches.
SDCL Tennessee Propco LLC filed a verified complaint challenging the validity and application of the April rules. The complaint alleges procedural, notice, open-meetings, due-process, and equal-protection defects and seeks declaratory and injunctive relief. Those allegations have not been adjudicated.
Sources:MID-004
Local reporting says Bradley County Schools still plans to move forward with a proposed middle school near Walker Valley High School despite the MidSpan dispute. The school board had approved purchase of adjacent Lauderdale Memorial Highway property for a future middle school in 2024.
Local 3 reporting from the County Commission meeting quotes Mayor D. Gary Davis saying the county insurer denied its claim related to the SDCL lawsuit. Davis said he had asked the attorney to move forward with the defense and was asking the Commission to do the same. The county’s official meeting index had not posted October 5 minutes or a linked video recording as of October 7.
Official work-session minutes record seven public speakers opposing data centers or related facilities. Two requested moratoria, and one explicitly asked the Commission to fight Project MidSpan and Project River. No data-center vote or MidSpan-specific county action occurred at the meeting.
Sources:MID-022
