The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors voted on Dec. 17 to amend the county zoning code to require special‑use permits for data centers in Industrial‑Limited (I‑1) and Industrial‑General (I‑2) districts.

Planning staff said the change (ZTA 25‑10) removes data centers as a by‑right use and makes them subject to a public special‑use review so the board can consider site‑specific impacts including traffic, noise, water and power demands. The amendment also modernizes the zoning definition of a "data center," clarifying the term to mean facilities used primarily for processing, storage and transmission of digital data and to explicitly mention computers/servers, air handling, power generators and water‑cooling infrastructure.

The planning commission reviewed the proposed amendment and recommended approval. The board adopted the amendment in a recorded vote. The change means that future data‑center proposals in the county’s industrial districts will require a public hearing and conditions imposed by the board through the special‑use process.

The amendment follows a short moratorium earlier this fall on new data‑center applications and was presented to ensure the county can review large, infrastructure‑intensive projects on a case‑by‑case basis.