By Heather Michon
Correspondent
With over 600 facilities in operation and dozens more under development, Virginia has become the data center capital of the world.
But Fluvanna County is not eager to join our neighbors in this digital revolution.
The Planning Commission held a work session on Tuesday night (Sept. 9) to discuss ways the county can control or limit the development of data centers.
It is an issue that counties and localities throughout Virginia have been grappling with in recent years. Many counties have no specific regulations in place, while others have implemented tools such as zoning rules specific to data centers.
Currently, Fluvanna ordinances would permit data centers as a by-right use on land zoned for industrial use.
The work session focused on regulatory options, such as requiring a special-use permit or creating special zoning districts, including technology overlay districts. These mechanisms would give the county more control over data center projects than is currently on the books.
Louisa County has a technology overlay district and requires a conditional use permit, which grants it control over facades, noise levels, and screening and landscaping.
In recent years, Lousia has approved two massive Amazon data centers and was considering a third. Public outcry ultimately caused the company to withdraw that third application.
There was unanimity among the commissioners that data centers would not improve the quality of life of Fluvanna residents.
Columbia Commissioner Lorretta Johnson-Morgan said that when she visited her daughter in Northern Virginia, “you could hear the noise from those data centers” all day and all night. “It just drove me crazy.”
“You don’t even need to roll the windows on your car down,” said Rivanna Commissioner Bob Dorsey. “You hear it right through the windows.”
Other concerns include light pollution and the potential for catastrophic fires.
Some areas have found that data centers often require considerable local resources without providing much in return. While they do bring tax revenue, they do not bring many jobs. They consume enormous amounts of power, resulting in a spike in electrical costs for residents all across the state.
Data centers also require massive amounts of water to cool equipment. Fluvanna’s current lack of water resources has been a limiting factor for any developers eying the county as a potential site.
The commissioners did not come to any conclusions, but hope to develop a plan within the next few months.
For now, the commissioners will ask the Board of Supervisors to approve a preemptive moratorium on any data center applications.
They will also ask the supervisors to create a joint committee to craft the new policies.
