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Culpeper council delays decision on data-center noise measurement after residents raise low-frequency concerns
Summary
Facing sustained resident concern about low-frequency noise from clustered data centers, the Town of Culpeper postponed until March a decision on a proffer amendment that would switch the Culpeper Technology Campus' noise enforcement method from frequency-band measurement to A-weighted decibels; the motion passed by roll call.
The Town of Culpeper Town Council voted to postpone consideration of a proffer amendment tied to the Culpeper Technology Campus until March, after residents and experts urged further study of low-frequency noise from data centers.
The amendment would change the enforcement metric in the project's proffers from a frequency-band measurement method to A-weighted decibels (dBA), a more commonly used industry standard. Staff said the rezoning and the project entitlement would remain in place regardless of the council’s action; the amendment affects only how the town would measure and enforce noise limits.
Public commenters from neighborhoods near the proposed site urged the council not to approve the change without additional analysis. Jackie Kaiser, who lives two minutes from the proposed Copper Ridge data center, said data-center noise travels long distances and can be harmful: “This noise is detrimental to our health and well-being,” she told the council. Multiple speakers cited the recent Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) report, which concluded that A-weighted metrics do not fully capture the low-frequency noise sometimes associated with data centers.
Town staff told council members that the applicant is required to submit a comprehensive noise study at the site-plan stage and that the town would engage an independent consultant to review that work. Staff also said the proposed A-weighted proffer language mirrors that approved for the adjacent Copper Ridge rezoning and would allow the town to measure noise immediately with equipment the town already has.
Adam Cook of Peterson Companies, representing the applicant, said the company intends to design the campus to meet either measurement standard. Cook argued that C-weighted band measurements are rarely performed locally and often require a specialist and off-site laboratory work; that makes on-the-spot enforcement difficult, he said. “If we turn to the references and consultants page, they don't have a sound engineering team that contributed to that at all,” Cook said, adding that his team found a qualified consultant only out of state and that the campus can be built to meet either standard.
Councilors debated trade-offs between a metric the town can enforce quickly (A-weighted) and one that some experts recommended to better capture low-frequency sound (C-weighted). Council members also asked whether routine generator testing would be exempted under the proffer; staff explained facilities would perform monthly 15-minute generator tests and an annual test up to about an hour, and that DEQ permits limit generator run time to approximately 36 hours per year.
When the council voted by roll call, the tally was: Council member Brown — Abstain; Council member Clancy — Aye; Council member Olinger — Aye; Mayor Reeves — Aye; Council member Ramikas — Aye; Council member Russell — No; Council member Schmidt — No; Council member Short — No; Vice mayor Yao — Aye. The motion to postpone carried.
The council’s deferral does not change the project's entitlement; staff said deferring could prompt the applicant to withdraw the amendment and proceed under the existing proffer language. The council directed that the issue return in March with clearer information about measurement, enforcement options and any independent analysis the town should commission.
