Culpeper council approves revised noise proffer for Culpeper Technology Campus amid public concern

The Culpeper Town Council on March 11 approved an amendment to the Culpeper Technology Campus (CTC) sound proffer that replaces the town's antiquated octave‑band frequency standard with a DBA‑weighted decibel measurement and removes exemptions that would have allowed generator testing and operation during power shortages to be exempt from the town's noise standard.

Council action came after more than an hour of public comment and a presentation that summarized a review by Noise Control Engineering, an independent consultant hired by the town. The council vote was 6 in favor, 2 opposed and 1 abstention: Council member Schmidt, Council member Short, Vice Mayor Yowell, Council member Clancy, Council member Olinger and Mayor Reeves voted aye; Council member Ramikas and Council member Russell voted no; Council member Brown abstained. The motion carried.

The consultant concluded that enforcement of the town's existing octave‑band standard is impractical because modern sound level meters do not directly measure those frequency bands, and that updating to modern measurement methods is necessary. The town manager summarized the consultant's memo to council, quoting Noise Control Engineering: "the town of Culpeper has no choice but to update their noise ordinance as the antiquated octave band frequencies are no longer recognized," and noted the consultant recommended treating the CTC amendment as a one‑time situation while the town modernizes its ordinance.

Residents and local organizations urged stricter limits and additional metrics to capture low‑frequency noise. Andrew Dowdy, a Culpeper resident, told council he supported the consultant review and asked the council "to commit to updating our noise standard to protect the citizens." Sarah Parmelee, representing the Piedmont Environmental Council, presented a modeled “worst case” map and warned of cumulative impacts if both CTC and the existing Copper Ridge campus operate under permissive limits, saying the result could raise ambient noise in parts of town "from the roughly 50 dBA ... to over 60 dBA, which would represent a doubling in the amount of ambient noise." Several speakers asked the council to adopt both DBA and octave‑band or 1/3‑octave (dBC) measures to capture low frequencies that DBA alone may miss.

Other commenters supported the amendment because of economic and workforce benefits from data‑center development. Joe Kendra, identified as a campus manager for Stock Infrastructure at a Prince William County data center, said modern facilities have "minimal sound impacts" and highlighted workforce pipelines: "staff actively recruits operational technicians through an apprenticeship program ... providing local residents with an opportunity to earn a 2‑year degree or certificate, leading to high paying careers." Labor representatives from IBW Local 26 described training and wage benefits tied to the industry.

Council members said they were balancing competing priorities: the practical difficulty of enforcing the old standard, residents' noise concerns, and the potential for jobs. The manager reviewed the amendment's technical and procedural history: CTC was rezoned in March 2023 with an earlier proffer; Copper Ridge adopted a DBA‑based proffer in September 2023; the planning commission recommended approval of the CTC amendment in November 2024; and the council's Public Safety, Public Works and Planning Development Committee asked for an independent review, which produced the consultant report now in the council packet.

The approved amendment (identified in staff materials as RZ 5107 2024) removes the town's octave‑band restriction for CTC and substitutes DBA‑weighted limits aligned with the Copper Ridge proffer, while explicitly removing Copper Ridge's two exemptions (routine emergency generator maintenance testing and emergency generator operation during power shortages) so CTC's proffer is more restrictive in those respects. The applicant also provided a memorandum describing baseline condition testing and compliance testing at 50% and 100% facility occupancy; that memorandum is included in the council packet.

Council members and staff noted limits on immediate remedies: the consultant warned that changing the underlying town noise ordinance to modern octave‑band or 1/3‑octave center frequencies would require interpretation and risk litigation, and the manager said proffers previously approved under the old standard would remain in effect unless the town undertakes a careful amendment process. The manager also clarified that zoning proffers do not themselves change Chapter 13 of the town code (the town's nuisance/noise ordinance) and that enforcement of Chapter 13 remains the responsibility of town police.

Supporters and opponents said they will continue to press for ordinance updates. Public commenters asked the council to adopt a townwide update that would include both DBA limits compatible with modern meters and additional measures to capture low‑frequency noise. The council's action approves the CTC proffer amendment now while the broader modernization of the noise ordinance remains a separate, forward‑looking task for staff and council.