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Residents raise water-use and job concerns over proposed Progress Park data center
Summary
Multiple Wythe County residents urged the board to reconsider the county's embrace of a data center in Progress Park, citing water-consumption estimates, job-count concerns and environmental mapping gaps. Speakers asked for stronger local controls and more public hearings.
Marcy Zahn, a county resident, told the Wythe County Board of Supervisors that the new data center under construction at Progress Park will use a closed-loop cooling system and that she understands "the anticipated average daily water consumption will be approximately 2,000 gallons per day." Zahn used that figure to argue the facility's water use is modest compared with other local businesses and that some opposition to the project has been misplaced.
At citizens' time on May 12, speakers on both sides of the project urged the board to weigh long-term consequences for jobs, the environment and local planning. "Data centers do not create the kind of long term stable jobs that our communities need," Sherry Burris said, adding that a "modern data center the size of a football field can operate as few as 10 to 25 full time workers." Burris urged the board not to "trade away our workforce for warehouses of servers."
Other public commenters pressed the county on land-use tools and environmental protections. Sarah Bates said she could not find a comprehensive map of historic or environmentally sensitive sites in the county's comprehensive plan and urged staff to assemble inventories so supervisors can make fully informed decisions. Andy Kegley asked the board to consider rescinding a January 2025 resolution welcoming data centers and to pursue zoning changes and public hearings that would give residents formal input.
Opponents and supporters exchanged examples during remarks: Jody Ward and Andrew Russell emphasized the need for jobs and tax base, pointing to other localities that used data-center investment to fund schools and infrastructure. Donna Nittster read a list of potential risks tied to artificial intelligence and large-scale data operations, urging the board to factor those externalities into land-use decisions.
Board members acknowledged the concerns and noted staff and presentations to date. County staff earlier told the board that, if completed and operational, the project could eventually contribute a targeted revenue stream to the county (budget staff later projected up to $10,000,000 annually starting around 2028, a figure presented in the FY2027 budget discussion). No formal vote on the project was taken at the meeting; citizens' comments were recorded for the board's consideration ahead of further permitting, zoning work and budget deliberations.
