Caroline County planning commission recommends data‑center special‑exception for board review, 4–1
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Summary
The Planning Commission voted 4–1 to forward SPEX082025 — a proposal for four data‑center buildings totaling 1.5 million sq ft on ~95 acres — to the Board of Supervisors with conditions addressing cooling, generators and construction traffic; residents raised concerns about power, water and rural character.
The Caroline County Planning Commission voted to forward a special‑exception request for the Caroline Center for Innovation North to the Board of Supervisors with recommended conditions after a lengthy presentation, public comment and technical questioning.
Chair Bob Schwartz moved the commission's recommendation that SPEX082025 "be forwarded to the board of supervisors with the recommendation of approval" with amended condition 13 requiring either a closed‑loop air‑cooled system or a system approved under the county's Public Utilities data‑center water‑usage policy. The motion carried on a 4–1 roll‑call vote; Commissioner Steve Rollins voted nay.
The applicant, represented by Charlie Payne of Stack Infrastructure (SAC 3 acquisition LLC), described a campus layout with four two‑story buildings of 375,000 square feet each (1.5 million square feet total), a proposed 10‑acre substation and phased construction. Payne said the project would be served by Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and estimated the campus would support about 300 megawatts of load at full build‑out. He told commissioners the developer expects to preserve roughly 18.66 acres of existing vegetation and that 43 acres of the 95‑acre parcel would remain open space.
Payne said the developer anticipates an investment of about $5.3 billion and cited a projected fiscal benefit of roughly $23.9 million annually at full build‑out. He said servers and IT equipment would be leased by tenants while Stack would own and operate the buildings and site infrastructure.
Commissioners and staff pressed the applicant on technical issues including cooling systems, water use, generator counts and traffic during construction. Staff and the applicant described the county's current utilities policy as requiring closed‑loop air‑cooled systems for data centers using domestic public water for initial fills and minimal evaporation thereafter. On water usage, the applicant provided a preliminary estimate of about 7,000 gallons per day per building in nonpeak periods and higher usage during hottest months; he emphasized designs and final quantities have not been completed.
On backup power, Payne said each 250,000‑square‑foot building would include about 22 diesel generators (a total of roughly 88 across the campus) that are intended for emergency use and periodic maintenance testing subject to DEQ limits. He said the industry commonly pursues EPA/DEQ‑favored tier‑4 generators to reduce emissions.
Public comment included sharp questions about grid capacity, rates and local impacts. Mark Sandor of the Mattaponi district urged commissioners to demand greater transparency about regional power supply and long‑term costs, saying "it's just not reasonable that working families should have to see that in their monthly utility bills." Mary Hodge and other speakers urged denial, raising concerns about water‑quality protections, emissions, noise from cooling systems, and the county's rural character.
In response to public concerns, Payne and Stack representatives cited a JLARC study and said large users generally fund their own transmission and substation infrastructure and that Rappahannock Electric Cooperative and other utilities require collateral and oversight. The applicant also described workforce and education commitments, including internships and support for CTE programs.
The commission's recommendation includes a construction mitigation plan and roadway‑condition assessment to manage construction traffic and address any damage attributable to building activity. The forwarded recommendation also includes the revised condition 13 tying cooling technology to the county Public Utilities data‑center water‑usage policy, so future utility policy changes could alter permitted cooling types without requiring an amendment to the special exception.
The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision; the Planning Commission's recommendation, staff reports and public comments will be part of that record.
