Community Perspectives

Understanding the AWS data center project through the eyes of five distinct community voices. Each perspective represents real concerns, benefits, and proposed compromises from across Wilmington.

Rural Preservationist

Retired Person

Primary Concerns

  • •Irreversible loss of rural character
  • •Increased construction traffic disrupting quiet roads
  • •Visual impact of 500-foot industrial structures

Recognized Benefits

  • •Increased funding for local libraries or senior services
  • •Improved fire suppression via new water tower

"I moved here for the silence of the fields, not to live adjacent to the 'engine room of the internet.' You can't put a price tag on a sunset over a cornfield once it's replaced by a 500-foot industrial wall."

Proposed Compromise:

Permanent green space buffers and conservation easements

Timber Glen Resident

The "Front Line"

Primary Concerns

  • •Constant low-frequency "hum" from cooling fans 24/7
  • •Visual impact of massive industrial halls
  • •Property values and quality of life concerns

Recognized Benefits

  • •Neighborhood Improvement Funds ($50,000 annually)
  • •Better local parks or landscaping

"It's not just about the noise you hear—it's the vibration you feel. Without binding C-weighted noise limits and real-time monitoring, our homes become unlivable 'buffer zones' for a tech giant."

Proposed Compromise:

C-weighted noise limits with 24/7 monitoring

Business Owner & Tradespeople

The Growth Coalition

Primary Concerns

  • •Potential competition for skilled labor
  • •Rising local wages affecting small business costs

Recognized Benefits

  • •$25 million in infrastructure upgrades
  • •Average project payroll of $80,000/year
  • •Local hiring preferences for trades
  • •Middle-class job opportunities

"This is the first time in decades we've seen an investment that doesn't just offer low-wage service jobs. It's a chance for our graduates to stay in Wilmington and earn a middle-class living."

Proposed Compromise:

Local hiring mandates and workforce training programs

Low-Income Resident

Poverty Alleviation Perspective

Primary Concerns

  • •Potential gentrification
  • •Rising property values increasing rents

Recognized Benefits

  • •Utility cost subsidies preventing rate hikes
  • •$1 million in new school funding without tax levy
  • •Improved infrastructure without raising bills

"If this project stops my water bill from doubling and gives my kids a school with modern technology and better-paid teachers, it's an act of negligence to say no."

Proposed Compromise:

Workforce training at Laurel Oaks for local residents

Concerned Town Resident

Fiscal & Utility Skeptic

Primary Concerns

  • •Risk of thermal pollution to Wastewater Treatment Plant
  • •Long-term sustainability of 4.5 MGD water draw
  • •Concerns about 30-year tax exemption

Recognized Benefits

  • •Monetization of dormant water rights asset
  • •Lower fixed costs for city utility
  • •$1 million annual PILOT payment

"We have the water, but do we have the safeguards? I want proof that 'near-zero liquid discharge' is more than a promise before we risk dumping 104°F water into our treatment plant."

Proposed Compromise:

Real-time water monitoring and thermal caps