PROJECT
FLASH!
UPDATE!
On Sunday, August 16, at the Franklin County Community Meeting, then Supervisor Mike Meredith announced that Project Flash was not moving forward.
Two days later, on August 18, during the regular Board of Supervisors meeting, Mr. Meredith abruptly resigned.
So what is really going on?
What is Project Flash?
We don’t know for sure, but we have a pretty good idea. Recent FOIA requests have uncovered ongoing closed-door discussions dating back to 2025 between the BOS and a company called Crusoe AI.
In Summary:
Franklin County produced six executed agreements in response to the Franklin County Community Coalition’s Virginia Freedom of Information Act request concerning Project Flash, Crusoe, or any affiliated data-center project. Collectively, these records demonstrate that the County entered into multiple legally binding confidentiality agreements, exclusive negotiating arrangements, and property-related agreements concerning a proposed large-scale data-center project at Summit View Business Park. The documents establish that negotiations progressed well beyond preliminary discussions. They do not establish that a final land sale occurred, that zoning approvals were obtained, that construction was approved, or that a data center will ultimately be built. Several records that would answer those questions were not included in the production.