Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite is pushing back on criticism of the SpaceXAI buyouts being offered to homeowners near the company’s power plant on Stanton Road. Speaking at the Oct. 6 Board of Aldermen meeting, Musselwhite said the offers are voluntary and show the company is trying to be a good corporate citizen, according to the DeSoto Times-Tribune.
Mayor: SpaceXAI Buyouts Are “All Voluntary”
MZX Tech LLC, the company behind the SpaceXAI operation, has sent letters to residents near its power plant at 2875 Stanton Road offering to buy homes affected by noise from its gas-powered turbines. Homeowners who accept would give up the right to take part in a class action lawsuit over the noise.
“Nobody is being forced to be bought out. It is all voluntary,” Musselwhite said. He called a litigation waiver reasonable given pending and possible lawsuits.
The mayor said the city encouraged the company to pay more than market value, because the homes are in an older part of town and replacement housing in Southaven and DeSoto County is expensive. He said owner-occupied homes should expect offers above market value. The exact number of homes and the offer amounts have not been made public.
Criticism of Memphis TV Coverage
Musselwhite sharply criticized Memphis television reports on the buyouts, calling the coverage “slanted and false” and “gotcha journalism.” One report featured a renter who said she must move out by November after her landlord accepted a buyout. The mayor said landlords have always been able to ask tenants to leave when they sell a property, and that this situation is no different.
He also said the company has “not broken any federal, state, or local law” and has not violated the city’s noise ordinance.
Noise Readings and Turbine Changes
According to the mayor, the company has spent millions of dollars on noise reduction, including building three earthen berms around the site. He said noise has been held to around 50 decibels at the city’s request, below the 70 to 80 decibels he said is generally considered acceptable in an industrial zone. Recent readings, he said, have been more consistent than ever.
Louder temporary turbines are being replaced with quieter permanent units, and Musselwhite said all temporary turbines are being removed.
The city takes noise readings “constantly” and will contact the company if problems return, he said.
Residents’ Lawsuit Continues
The class action lawsuit filed by homeowners tells a different story. The plaintiffs say the noise runs 24 hours a day and has at times topped 70 decibels. They say they cannot use their yards or decks, cannot open doors and windows, and have trouble sleeping because sound and vibration carry into their homes. The area named in the suit is bounded by Stateline Road West, U.S. Highway 51, Nail Road, and a line one mile west of Horn Lake Road, including the Colonial Hills neighborhood, one of Southaven’s oldest.
No court ruling or trial schedule in the case was reported. The buyout offers remain open.
