Wake County animal center plan sparks southeast Raleigh objections; data centers opposed

Wake County’s plan to replace its three-decade-old Beacon Lake Drive animal shelter with a roughly 54,000-square-foot, $57 million facility at the Randleigh Farm site in southeast Raleigh has prompted neighbors to demand tougher noise protections, saying the closest house would be only a few hundred feet from the proposed footprint. Residents at recent neighborhood meetings questioned the size and proximity of fenced outdoor play yards and the expanded kennel capacity.

County commissioners have signed off on a design for the replacement shelter, moving the project from schematic approval into public scrutiny, and design team member Rhonda Zack described added capacity as an explicit project goal. The plan calls for an on-site veterinary clinic and would add “hundreds” of kennel and cat condo spaces compared with the aging Beacon Lake Drive building, but neighbors remain unconvinced that smaller kennel pods and other acoustic measures will sufficiently muffle constant barking.

Procedural details for the animal center remain limited in public materials: commissioners approved the design, but officials have not released a firm timeline for site hearings, noise studies, or a final construction schedule. Neighbors pressed county leaders at multiple meetings, seeking binding noise limits and clearer commitments on placement of outdoor yards relative to homes.

At the same time, roughly 100 residents turned out in New Hill to oppose a proposed 250-MW data center sited on about 190 to nearly 200 acres along Shearon Harris Road near Old US 1, sparking parallel fights over industrial development in western Wake County. Reports identify the developer variously as Natelli Holdings and as Natteli Investments LLC, and Wake County real estate records show the property owner listed as Michael L. Goodwin; the project would require annexation into the Town of Apex and rezoning to move forward.

Developer Michael Natelli told residents that the rezoning process is ongoing and that the team expects to appear before the planning board and then the town council “probably … in the springtime, depending on how it all unfolds.” Natelli also said the town has designated the area as industrial and that backup generators would run only during emergencies.

Opponents cited environmental and quality-of-life risks: heavy water and power demands, diesel emissions from backup generators, light and low-frequency noise, increased traffic and loss of rural character. Michelle Hoffner O’Connor of Jordan Pointe warned, “The sound, not the high pitch, but the low pitch is a huge concern based on where I live, the pollutants from the generators, even if they're running infrequently.” Gerald Ramoin, a 34-year resident, added, “Traffic is starting to get really bottlenecked because of poor planning, quite frankly, and this is just going to add more to that.”

Residents also raised long-term reuse and safety questions. Lorraine McAvoy of the New Hill area asked, “What happens in five to 10 years when the technology changes? What happens to these buildings? What happens to that?” A Jordan Pointe resident warned, “We are a terrorist attack waiting to happen,” and another neighbor noted, “And we’re surrounded by schools.”

Developers have pitched economic benefits including an estimated $10 million in annual tax revenue for Apex and Wake County, $1.2 million to the state, $300 million in construction labor compensation and $850 million in construction-period economic activity. Opponents and organized groups, including local coalitions opposing the New Hill site, are calling for stronger protections, greater transparency on annexation and rezoning, and independent studies on noise, water use and air quality before any approvals move forward.

Key details remain unresolved: the parcel is described alternately as 190 acres and as nearly 200 acres, the developer’s legal identity is reported under two spellings, and public records show the land under Michael L. Goodwin without clear confirmation of any sale contingency. Residents and neighborhood groups say they will press for formal hearings and binding mitigation measures as both the animal center design and the data-center rezoning process advance.