PINEVILLE, N.C. — People along the North and South Carolina state lines are sounding the alarm after hearing about what they are calling an "ugly proposal". Pineville town leaders will soon hear about a plan to build a large electrical substation near the Miller Flea Market.
On any given weekend, Miller's Flea Market in Fort Mill, South Carolina - just steps away from the state line - is packed. Residents nearby told WCNC Charlotte there were over a thousand people there on Saturday.
Rebecca Rowe is a resident of the McCullough neighborhood and has driven by this site every day for a while. But the new plan in that spot had her saying they crossed the line.
"Very, very concerning to myself," she said.
Electricities North Carolina proposed building an acre-large electrical substation on the parking lot next to the flea market. David Lucore with the company said there were a few reasons why they picked that spot.
"The overall town of Pineville’s electric system sits at capacity where it is right now," Lucore said. "It needs to be as close to the Duke [Energy] transmission site as possible, needs to be on a flat area, out of a flood plain, and it’s got to be affordable and big enough.”
Some other neighbors told WCNC Charlotte it would be an eyesore and decrease property value. Rowe also said something else weighed on her.
“The size of this and the health concerns it brings with it," Rowe said.
She mentioned the exposure to an EMF, or electromagnetic field.
"There are no documented studies that I’m aware of, of the health effects of having a substation near a neighborhood," Lucore said.
The medical community has competing theories. The National Cancer Institute and World Health Organization said studies of animals have not provided any indications that EMFs are associated with cancer. But UNC Environmental Health and Safety said it remains a possibility.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.