Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Data Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge supervisors to reject Diode data center rezoning; county shares VEDP impact estimates
Summary
Residents told the Charles City County Board of Supervisors they oppose a proposed rezoning that would allow an eight‑building data center complex in a rural residential/agricultural area and urged the board to use industrial reserve land instead.
Residents asked the Charles City County Board of Supervisors to oppose a proposed rezoning for a large data center project near Roxbury Road and Old Union Road, telling the board the county's rural, residential and agricultural areas are not appropriate locations for heavy industrial data complexes.
Several speakers urged the board to use the county's industrial-reserve land and not rezone neighborhoods for large data-center facilities. They warned of years of construction, 24/7 generator noise, truck traffic and potential long-term impacts on wetlands, wildlife and property values.
What the county presented
Cynthia Boone of the county's Economic Development and Tourism office presented material from the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) that illustrated how a hypothetical large data center could affect local tax revenue over 20 years under current local tax assumptions. Boone said VEDP's slides showed potential state and local tax contributions and noted VEDP's claim that data centers require relatively limited public services while generating substantial tax receipts. She also said VEDP representatives will present more detail at an Economic Development Authority meeting the week following the board meeting.
Citizens' concerns
Speakers including Brandy Moreno, Georgia Pulliam and Nellie Turpin emphasized the project's scale and location in established residential and agricultural neighborhoods. Pulliam told the board the property is "not in an industrial reserve area" on the county's future land-use map and asked, "How can this board justify rezoning for an industrial project when the county's own plan warns against development that damages sensitive natural areas?" (paraphrased).
Other residents said special-use permits and other projects in the county had not been consistently enforced and argued the county should not approve rezoning without fuller public review and firmer assurances about noise, traffic and environmental protections.
Planning process and timing
County staff said the rezoning application and formal planning commission review were scheduled for the April 10 Planning Commission meeting. Boone said VEDP would be available at an EDA session the following Thursday to discuss the economic material it had shared; she emphasized the VEDP slides were high-level and offered by that state agency.
What the record does not show
No formal rezoning vote occurred at the supervisors' meeting. The public comments in the meeting reflect strong local opposition and indicate the board and planning commission will face extensive public input at formal hearings.
Ending
Residents asked supervisors to direct any industrial-scale data center to industrial reserve locations rather than residential or agricultural neighborhoods. County staff said state and county agencies would continue to provide information ahead of the planning commission hearing.
