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Planning commission lists Vision 2035 priorities: data centers, mixed use, sewer access and cell coverage among top items for 2025
Summary
Staff presented Vision 2035 follow‑up topics and commissioners highlighted priorities including researching data centers and battery storage, leveraging underused sewer capacity on the 58 corridor for housing, and updating wireless communications rules to address poor rural cell coverage.
Randolph, Southampton County’s planning director, told the commission that following the Board of Supervisors’ adoption of the comprehensive plan "Vision 2035," staff will review ordinances and regulations to ensure plan goals can be implemented. He presented a draft list of review topics for 2025 and asked commissioners to identify priorities.
Commissioners said they wanted more information about data centers and their requirements, and asked staff to bring examples and concerns from other counties. Several members repeatedly emphasized using existing infrastructure — notably county sewer capacity along the Route 58 corridor — to guide growth and targeted housing development rather than expanding into farmland.
Wireless communications and cellular coverage drew sustained discussion. Commissioners described pervasive dead zones and told staff the county’s cell‑tower ordinance is roughly 25 years old and technologically outdated. One commissioner said coverage "stinks" in parts of the county and framed it as a public‑safety concern; another suggested inviting carrier representatives (Verizon, T‑Mobile) to explain technical and economic constraints. Randolph said staff would attempt to bring carriers to a future meeting and that technical submittal requirements in the ordinance need updating to reflect current technology.
Other topics mentioned for future review included battery storage facilities, mixed‑use planning examples to encourage quality of life in towns, and options for encouraging development near existing utilities.
Next steps: staff will draft ordinance updates where needed, attempt to schedule carrier briefings about coverage, and bring examples of mixed‑use projects and sewer‑capacity strategies to future meetings.
