New Kent supervisors push back on reporting, vow public hearings if data centers arrive
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The Board clarified that no data-center applications are currently filed, defended a consultant-led draft Technology Overlay District and heard several residents warn about noise, water use and property‑value impacts. The board said conditional-use permitting and public hearings would apply to any future proposals.
The New Kent County Board of Supervisors opened Monday’s meeting by addressing a local news headline that the board said misrepresented the county’s process for potential data‑center projects. The Chair said the county has received no development applications for a data center and emphasized that, under current zoning, a data center would require a conditional‑use permit with public review and hearings.
The Chair called the headline “fake news” and urged residents to contact their supervisor and participate in upcoming discussions; staff and the board authorized a consultant in April 2025 to identify areas where the use could be accommodated and to draft potential zoning standards for buffers, landscaping, access and design.
During the public‑comment period several residents urged the board to limit or reject data‑center development. Robert Mills said he’s researched noise impacts, saying “a data center may meet between 50 and 98 decibels,” with the greatest impact within 400 feet; he recommended larger setbacks than those in the draft overlay. Amy Andresen and Susan Palproctor, both local homeowners who said their properties lie inside the proposed overlay area, raised concerns about water demand, visual impacts and long‑term effects on property values and rural character. “Protecting our community, our residents, and the character of New Kent County should be the priority,” Andresen said.
County staff told the board the overlay proposal is an initial draft and one step in a longer public process. The Chair noted the board will discuss the overlay at a March 13 retreat and reiterated that any future data‑center project would trigger the formal public‑hearing and review steps required by the county’s zoning code.
What happens next: staff will continue work on the overlay standards and present refined language and maps to the board in upcoming meetings and retreats; residents were encouraged to follow the process and register comments with their supervisor.