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Powhatan commission weighs where to add housing as utilities, data center and rural preservation shape map updates
Summary
At a Feb. 25 workshop, the Powhatan County Planning Commission reviewed Comprehensive Plan map designations and debated where to site attainable housing, citing utilities limits, a five-year goal of 250 attainable homes, and projected water demand from a planned data center.
Vice Chair Bobby Hall called the Powhatan County Planning Commission workshop to order on Feb. 25. Commissioners reviewed work to date on the Comprehensive Plan and debated where to allow additional housing as the county updates its Future Land Use Map.
Brian Haney, deputy county administrator, summarized the Board of Supervisors’ strategic priorities and the Citizens Working Group report, identifying unmet housing needs including affordable rental housing for seniors, mixed-use and mixed-income housing, faith-based rental housing and improving owner-occupied home livability. Haney said achieving attainable housing will depend on factors such as lot size, home size, density and construction materials and discussed incentives for developers to include attainable units.
The commissioners focused on balancing residential growth, economic development and rural preservation. Commissioner Jessica Winall noted that growth-area designations have declined in recent map versions and that the county’s growth areas cover roughly 3% of Powhatan’s 272-square-mile area, arguing that concentrating development there preserves rural lands and aligns with existing and projected water and sewer infrastructure. Commissioner Darlene Bowlin cautioned against converting Gateway Business areas to residential, saying such a shift could make it harder to increase commercial tax revenue and that she does not support high-density housing. Commissioner Kenneth Hatcher II said higher-density residential development in appropriate locations can support local businesses and retain sales tax revenue but opposed borrowing to expand water and sewer systems.
Commissioners and staff discussed a planned data center whose buildings are projected to use about 250,000 gallons per day; they said revenue from such industrial customers could help fund future water infrastructure. Haney cautioned that the county must pay for reserved utility capacity even if it is not used, which affects the system’s cost-efficiency and where additional development is feasible.
On lot sizes and rural character, the commission reviewed the county’s history of lot-size changes, conservation subdivision rules and whether smaller lots—including parcels under two acres—should be allowed in areas served by county water and sewer to help produce more attainable homes. The group discussed village-area boundaries and walkability, with Winall recommending extending village designations to create recognizable, connected streets near Mill Quarter.
The commission set a schedule to align land use map updates with the Board’s strategic plan and to produce related ordinances, planning additional workshops and meetings. A procedural motion to adopt the meeting agenda passed 4-0 (Craig Hughes absent). The next workshop is scheduled for March 18, 2026, at 3 p.m.
