Board approves special‑use permit for proposed MAMAC Tech Campus data center

The Greensville County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 5 approved a special‑use permit for the proposed MAMAC Tech Campus, a multibuilding data center development in the Mid‑Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center.

County staff and the applicant described the project as a phased campus of up to 12 data center buildings on two parcels (parcel record numbers 1653 and 1653A) within the Technology Overlay District. Colleen Gillis, an attorney with Geron and Partners, said the project would include data center buildings, substations, access roads, stormwater management facilities and other utilities and that the applicant needs a special‑use permit "which is why we're here this evening." She told the board the buildings are capped at 80 feet and the applicant plans to deliver roughly two buildings every two to three years during build‑out.

Why it matters: The applicant projected "approximately 1,500 construction jobs" during build‑out and estimated 50–60 employees per building at occupancy; staff emphasized that those fiscal and employment estimates rely on assumptions and may vary by market. The project also includes large power infrastructure: staff estimated a site‑wide demand range the presentation described as roughly 500 to 1,600 megawatts total, and noted about one acre of wetland disturbance will be associated with the site plan in the areas shown.

Staff context and conditions: Kate Jones of the Berkeley Group, who reviewed the application for the county, said the parcels are zoned M‑1 and are in the Technology Overlay District that the board adopted to encourage such development. Jones said staff found the proposal generally consistent with the overlay and the county comprehensive plan but recommended conditions including additional screening and landscaping to limit views into the site. The planning commission recommended approval by a 6–0 vote and included a condition requiring ground‑breaking within six years of approval.

Action taken: After presentation and brief discussion, the board moved and seconded a motion to approve the special‑use permit "with the stated conditions." The clerk conducted a roll call and the motion carried.

What comes next: Staff will review and enforce the site‑plan conditions (screening, landscaping and any mitigation for wetlands) at the site‑plan submission stage. The board's approval authorizes the special‑use permit to proceed subject to those conditions; the applicant will need to meet site‑plan and permitting requirements before construction begins.