Editor’s note: This story has been updated.
CHERRY VALLEY — A small sign is causing quite a big stir in Cherry Valley.
The small red and white sign reads “Facebook Data Center Coming Soon!” on land being cleared just inside the Cherry Valley city limits west of Highway 1.
The sign has left many asking whether a data center is actually moving into the Cherry Valley area, which is already home to the Cherry Valley Solar Project.
The solar project is connected to Meta, the parent company of Facebook. The land where the sign is located is not.
That’s according to Cherry Valley Mayor Dennis Stephens. Stephens said the sign is a prank and has led to a number of calls to Cherry Valley City Hall.
The Cherry Valley Solar Project is a 185-megawatt solar farm developed by Adapture and TED Renewables. The solar farm is expected to generate enough energy to power 30,000 homes annually and will provide some $3.75 million for the Cross County School District and $1.15 million to the city of Cherry Valley during the life of the project.
The city also received another $1 million in community development grant funds from the developers.
