Lee County supervisors approve zoning text amendment to treat data centers as special use in industrial districts

The Lee County Board of Supervisors voted Oct. 21 to amend the county zoning ordinance to add a definition for "data center" and classify data centers as a special‑use in M‑1 and M‑2 industrial districts, a move that preserves individual public hearings for each proposed facility.

The change follows a planning commission recommendation and a public hearing in which the commission’s presenter, identified in the hearing as Clint, said the draft definitions were adapted from Loudoun County and that commissioners shifted from recommending the use as permitted to recommending special‑use status because residents wanted more notice and opportunities to weigh in. "We amended it to be by special use in each of those districts," the presenter said during the hearing, explaining that special‑use classification would require additional hearings for each project.

Supporters of the ordinance change argued it gives affected neighbors a formal forum. Opponents raised concerns about water and electric use, environmental study needs and long‑term local impacts. Ben Richmond, a Jonesville resident who spoke during public comment, urged a two‑year moratorium on data‑center approvals, saying neighboring localities have used moratoria to buy time for study: "I would really like to see a 2 year moratorium put on all this," he said.

Board members debated the tradeoff between protecting neighbors and attracting business. Staff and supervisors noted the county currently lacks large power capacity for the biggest facilities but that smaller data centers exist and that special‑use review allows the board to set site‑specific conditions, such as size limits and setbacks. After discussion the board moved and seconded the ordinance change and approved it in a voice vote.

The amendment changes the permitting pathway but does not, by itself, authorize construction; any company that applies will still need to clear permitting steps, possible rezoning, and utility‑infrastructure hurdles. Supervisors said the change is the first step to make Lee County visible to prospective firms without automatically allowing development on any industrial parcel.

What happens next: Individual special‑use applications will be advertised and noticed to adjoining property owners; any proposal must still satisfy local setback and conditional requirements and, where applicable, utility providers’ capacity constraints.