Vilonia planning officials block prospective cryptocurrency mine

The Vilonia Planning Commission unanimously voted against plans to build a cryptocurrency mine at an unusually packed meeting Thursday night.

Crypto mines are large collections of computers built to harvest cryptocurrency, a completely digital form of money not reliant on any central authority. They’ve drawn criticism because the fans needed to keep the computers cool emit a loud noise that can be disruptive to people nearby.

Last week, the Vilonia City Council voted to cap town-wide sound at 60 decibels. At the same meeting, several residents expressed negative sentiments against the proposed mines.

No representatives from the company seeking to build the crypto mine came to the meeting. The only person connected to the mine was Barry Davidson, a civil engineer who had been contracted from a separate company. When asked before the meeting, Davidson struggled to remember the name of the mining company.

“You haven’t met them, and you’re their civil engineer,” commission member Kim Williams noted during the meeting. Another member said the fact that no one from the mining company was there showed an “unseriousness.”

Davidson said no “acoustical analysis” has been conducted on the mine. Commission member Trey White wanted to see an analysis before moving forward with the plans.

“My recommendation is that we deny the preliminary plat submittal,” White said, to loud applause.

“I believe we should also look into denying you permanently,” Williams said, explaining that the company had failed to supply the planning commission with a good description of the proposed plan. She said she wanted “to protect the health and safety of the city.”

Williams said conditional-use permits are mandatory in Vilonia for industrial businesses, and by revoking the mine’s permit, it will be hard for them to build in Vilonia in the future.

“You can come back,” she said, “But you will not be approved next time either.”

The commission unanimously voted to revoke the conditional use permit along with voting to stop the project. The crowd in the room erupted in applause after the votes.

After the vote, Cameron Baker, managing member of a pro-crypto group called Cryptic Farms, spoke in favor of future crypto mining. He said many mines are not noisy because they use liquid coolant or are in extremely rural areas.

During public comment, many community members thanked the commission for listening to the concerns they had expressed over the previous week.