Residents and developers clash over proposed Valaco data center; hearing continued to April 15

Dozens of residents, local civic groups and a developer representative packed the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting on March 18 to debate a rezoning request tied to a proposed Valaco LLC data center campus and on-site gas power plant.

The company’s representative, Tim Reynolds, told the board Valaco asked to postpone the public hearing until April so the developer could refine project details after community outreach and staff meetings. Reynolds said the team had updated technical information and “came away with specific changes to the plan…geared toward minimizing the impact to everyone in the community.” He asked the board to allow April 15 to be the next public date. The chairman indicated the matter will be continued to April 15 and that people who did not get to speak would receive priority at that meeting.

Why it matters: The project would require rezoning a large tract of county land and, according to public commenters, could transform farmland, water use and local landscapes. Opponents said the proposal threatens agricultural land, wildlife and water resources; supporters said the project would bring large tax revenue, jobs, and a water line and treatment plant along Route 29.

Speakers for and against the project offered sharply different accounts of the proposal’s scale and likely impacts. Joan Walker, reading on behalf of the Chatham Garden Club, said the application seeks rezoning of roughly 747 acres from residential/agricultural to heavy industrial and asked the board to oppose the rezoning. Amy Davis, a Bannister District landowner, said the first phase would include a 3,500-megawatt-capable generation site in the county’s rural heart and asked supervisors to “plan and deny this project.” Greg Buford, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center representing affected neighbors, urged the board to deny the rezoning and said documents indicate the site could support up to 3,500 megawatts and a far larger permanent gas plant than the first-phase temporary turbines described in Valaco’s cover letter. Buford also argued the county’s comprehensive plan supports denying industrial development on prime farmland.

Many speakers who favored the project emphasized county finances, job creation and infrastructure. Gary Hodge, mayor of Hurt, urged the board to approve the rezoning, saying the county needs large-scale development to raise revenue. Multiple speakers, including Patty Reynolds and Steve Worley, described proposed water infrastructure — a new water treatment plant and roughly 20 miles of pipeline from Hurt to Chatham with about 200 fire hydrants — as a major public benefit that would come at no cost to the county.

Residents opposed to the project raised environmental and quality-of-life concerns repeatedly. Kaylee Hicks warned of air, water, light and noise impacts and said “industrial blight” would damage opportunities for future generations. Sandra Payne asked supervisors to visit the proposed site and said she fears the area’s rural character would be replaced by “a concrete jungle.” Several commenters questioned the provenance and reliability of letters of support submitted in the developer’s application and said some endorsements were not county- or state-level positions.

Technical questions came from members of the public who cited presentations and past meetings. Robert Key quoted turbine manufacturer specifications and estimated on-site heat output and energy consumption, arguing the ecological impact near Mill Creek would be severe if turbines operate continuously. Alice Bond said she spoke with a DEQ official who told her the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality would continuously monitor permitted emissions if the plant is built; she said DEQ processes and permit conditions are a primary regulatory control.

What the board did: The public comment period reached the board’s time limit; the chairman said the hearing will continue April 15 and that those who did not get to speak tonight will be given priority at the next meeting. No rezoning vote or formal board decision on the Valaco request was recorded on March 18.

Looking forward: The board has scheduled continuation of the public hearing for April 15, when supervisors will hear additional testimony and may consider formal action on any rezoning petition.