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Residents press supervisors over proposed data center, developer to hold open house Thursday
Summary
At the Charles City County Board of Supervisors meeting residents urged the board to reconsider rezoning and to require environmental and noise studies for a proposed large data center; developer Diode announced a community information open house “this Thursday.”
Residents of neighborhoods near the proposed data center urged the Charles City County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to block rezoning and require independent studies on noise, groundwater use and health impacts.
The board announced that Diode, described at the meeting as a firm that prepares land for data centers, will host a community information open house in the county auditorium “this Thursday” with three time slots, the board said. The announcement prompted extended public comment from neighbors who said the project would sit too close to homes zoned agricultural and residential.
Brandy Moreno, who said she lives on Old Union Road, cited a state review and asked the board and developers to study land-use compatibility before proceeding. “The JLARC states that industrial scale of data centers makes them incompatible with residential use,” Moreno said, referring to the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report discussed at the meeting.
Pat Davis, of Charbelle Estates — a neighborhood adjacent to the proposed site — told the board she found studies linking proximity to data centers with sleep disturbance, stress and other health issues. “Harvard is now studying a link to dementia,” Davis said, summarizing research she had reviewed. She asked the board to require sound modeling and stricter permitting conditions.
Amy Klein, also of Charbelle Estates, said water use was a central concern. “Data centers are known for their substantial water consumption,” she said, warning that a large campus could strain local wells. Klein said developer statements that the project would draw “minimal groundwater” need concrete, quantified plans.
No rezoning or permit vote took place at the meeting. The board’s announcement of Diode’s open house was presented as an informational next step. Multiple speakers told the board they had not received direct notices and asked for clearer outreach to adjoining property owners.
The board did not set a future date for formal action on rezoning at the meeting. Diode’s open house and later planning commission or board hearings will determine whether the county receives formal applications that would require official review and votes.
