Planning commission backs rezoning and special-use permit for Otterdam data center campus

Greensville County planning commissioners voted to recommend approval of a conditional rezoning that adds a 14.5-acre parcel to the county's Technology Overlay District and to recommend a special-use permit for the Otterdam Technology Group’s proposed data center campus.

The rezoning request and the special-use permit (SUP) were presented to the Planning Commission during a public hearing. The commission recommended approval of the zoning map amendment (ZMA-1-2025) to include tax parcel 11-24B in the Technology Overlay District and recommended approval of SUP SP-3-2025 for a multi-phase data center campus with conditions, including that land-disturbing activity must commence within six years of Board of Supervisors approval.

The application covers an assemblage of parcels controlled under option by Otterdam Technology Group. Attorney Bridal Purcell, representing the applicant, described the rezoning as a procedural step to add tax map 11-24B into the Technology Overlay District. Purcell said the rezoning is conditional and would not permit commercial or industrial development without a subsequent conditional use permit or SUP granted by the board of supervisors. Purcell said the 14.5-acre parcel was omitted from earlier TOD mapping and that adding it “squares off” the project and improves buffers to neighboring properties. "Greensville County is in fact open for business," Purcell told the commission.

Berkeley Group planner Kate Jones presented staff findings and recommended conditions. Jones said the full project area is approximately 495 acres with about 186 acres proposed as the buildable area; the data center buildings themselves would occupy about 88 acres of that. The SUP application would allow construction of up to eight data center buildings and supporting infrastructure including a substation, power storage, a natural gas plant area, roadways, detention basins and a 2-acre command-and-control building. Jones noted the Technology Overlay District (adopted 2024) includes most parcels in the assemblage except the 14.5-acre tract and that the SUP would be contingent on rezoning that tract into the TOD. Jones also reported that wetlands delineation and an environmental site assessment had been completed and that wetland and other regulatory permits would be required during site-plan review.

Jamie Craig, manager for Otterdam Technology Group, detailed the applicant’s site plan and readiness steps. Craig described a two-phase plan that he said would total about 600 megawatts at full build and said the design places most infrastructure in a bowl to reduce visibility from neighbors and preserves wooded buffers. "This SUP is exactly what you've seen. It's 2 phases. It's 600 megawatts," Craig said. He emphasized the applicant's work on wetlands delineation, cultural-resource inventories and an EPA phase 1 environmental assessment. Craig said a power study is underway and explained Dominion's process for power offers, and he said water and sewer capacity and timing remain dependent on county and regional infrastructure upgrades.

Public commenters raised questions about power sourcing, water supply, wetlands and property impacts. Resident Charles Casper compared promised local benefits from earlier large projects to outcomes he said he had observed and urged caution. Neighbor David Ferguson said his land borders much of the project and asked specifically about environmental impacts, stormwater and light, and where power and water would come from. Craig and staff answered that the wetlands delineation and other environmental studies were completed, that wetland impacts would be permitted, and that the power study and utility coordination remain outstanding conditions to be satisfied before construction.

Planning commissioners discussed buffers, visibility from residences on Allen Road, the duration of the SUP blanking/sunset clause and the county's need for infrastructure and jobs. One commissioner said they would abstain on both matters because of a potential conflict of interest with a relative; the record shows two abstentions on the motions. Commissioners agreed to add a condition clarifying that land-disturbing activities must commence within six years of Board of Supervisors approval, rather than allowing indefinite vesting. The commission recorded votes to forward both the zoning map amendment and the special-use permit to the Board of Supervisors with a favorable recommendation.

The commission's recommendation means the Board of Supervisors will consider both items at its next scheduled meeting in November. If the board approves the SUP, the applicant will still be required to submit site plans, obtain wetland permits, satisfy stormwater and erosion-control requirements, complete the traffic impact analysis with VDOT, and provide utility studies and permits (power interconnection, gas delivery, fiber availability) before construction. The developers also noted the project will require phased utility delivery: one substation and roughly 300 megawatts for phase one, with additional substations or interconnection work needed for later phases.

Votes at a glance: the commission recorded a favorable recommendation for the rezoning to add parcel 11-24B into the Technology Overlay District and a favorable recommendation for the special-use permit SP-3-2025 for the Otterdam Technology Group data center campus. Both recommendations were forwarded to the Board of Supervisors; the special-use permit recommendation included the modified condition that land-disturbing activities must commence within six years of board approval.

The project remains subject to multiple regulatory approvals and the applicant’s ability to secure power, water and other infrastructure. Craig and Purcell told the commission that if those utilities are not available, the project would not be built. "If the power is not available, the project doesn't get built," Craig said.

Short-term next steps: both cases will be presented to the Greensville County Board of Supervisors at its next meeting in November for final action. The commission record includes the staff-recommended conditions and the revised timeline condition for land-disturbing activity.