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Fredericksburg staff outline aggressive timeline for data‑center guidance; commission to hold joint work sessions with council
Summary
City staff briefed the commission that City Council is pursuing an expedited process (joint work sessions and potential ordinance initiation) to create a data‑center overlay and text amendments; commissioners asked for ordinance comparisons and FAQs to inform public outreach.
City planning staff informed the Planning Commission that City Council had signaled interest in rapidly developing guidance and an overlay to govern data‑center development near the city’s North End and utility corridors. Staff described a potential multi‑step approach: a Comprehensive Plan amendment for the North End, a text amendment and zoning overlay to permit data centers by special use permit under defined conditions, and coordination with economic development and the city attorney.
At a recent City Council work session staff presented options and a timetable. Staff described the model of other Virginia localities (such as a Louisa technology overlay) and proposed joint work sessions with Council to offer commission input on policy, permissible locations, and mitigation standards. The commission tentatively agreed to participate in joint sessions proposed for Jan. 14 and Jan. 21 to review draft ordinance language, with a potential public hearing in February if the timeline proceeds.
Commissioners requested comparative analyses of draft ordinance options (including the more restrictive Fairfax County approaches), and asked staff to prepare an FAQ and context materials for the public — including summaries of JLARC and state resources — ahead of joint work sessions. Commissioners also requested explicit analysis of interfaces between any proposed data‑center campus and adjacent multi‑family residential properties (noise, screening, buffers). Staff said they would compile comparable ordinances and a draft FAQ for the joint work sessions.
