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Southampton County planners debate data-center rules, ask staff to research ordinances
Summary
The Planning Commission spent most of its meeting scrutinizing data-center impacts — power, water, land use and decommissioning — and asked staff to survey other local ordinances and report back, with an eye toward drafting a local ordinance within months.
The Southampton County Planning Commission spent the bulk of its March meeting examining how the county should respond if large data centers seek to locate in the county, focusing on electricity and water impacts, siting constraints, and possible ordinance tools to protect farmland and residents.
Chair opened the discussion by saying the commission should ‘‘be on the offensive’’ and prepare rules rather than reacting to a surprise application. Several commissioners warned big data centers can demand transmission upgrades and other infrastructure that could raise resident utility bills unless mitigated. "Virginia Power is more than happy to put that in, but somebody's gonna pay for it," a committee member said during the discussion.
Why it matters: commissioners said data centers can…
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