Fluid Stack purchases Solless Arcs site; Wythe County approves estoppel, requires site plan

Fluid Stack, which recently closed on the Solless Arcs parcel at Progress Park, asked Wythe County supervisors on Tuesday to approve an estoppel statement certifying the property’s compliance with park covenants; the board approved the administrative request but emphasized the company still must submit a site plan for formal review.

Kate Franco, Fluid Stack’s presenter, told the board, “First and foremost, a data center is the physical home of the internet,” and outlined how the company intends to operate the proposed Solless Arcs campus. She said the company uses closed‑loop cooling and estimated the site’s average daily water use would be “approximately equal to that of seven or so average homes,” arguing closed‑loop systems use far less water than older evaporative cooling approaches.

Franco also said data centers typically pay for necessary utility upgrades themselves. “When a data center comes to town…they pay for those upgrades, meaning that the utility does not have to distribute costs to other residential users,” she said, adding that communities with data centers often enjoy more stable local energy rates because the large customer funds required upgrades.

On jobs, Franco said positions at a campus develop over time and that Fluid Stack intends to hire locally; she estimated the Solless Arcs campus could employ roughly 200–500 people on a daily basis, including technicians, security and facility staff, and said the company would work with community colleges on training programs.

A county staff member reviewed the Progress Park covenants in detail, noting the covenants set permitted and prohibited uses, site‑plan requirements (including parking, building materials, screening for transformers and waste facilities, landscaping and signage), and environmental and noise protections. Staff said site plans must show parking counts appropriate for shiftwork, lighting plans with foot‑candle and spillover measurements, underground utilities where required, and compliance with the noise standard described in the covenants (65 dB measured at 500 feet).

County staff framed the estoppel statement as an administrative certification that, as of today, the property is not in violation of the covenants; the speaker said that if Fluid Stack later submits a site plan that fails to address required covenant items, the board may deny the site plan and no building permit would be issued. “If you say no, you don’t have a site plan, then we don’t issue a building permit for them to get started,” the staff member explained.

During a brief public exchange a resident raised concerns about transparency; Franco responded that Fluid Stack will create a project website with plans and progress information and return for future in‑person updates. A board member asked whether the company has other nearby campuses; Franco said Fluid Stack is developing campuses nationwide but is currently focused on Wythe County in Virginia.

Board member Mr. Cook moved to approve the estoppel statement and Mr. Bernett seconded. The chair called for affirmations and declared the motion approved. County staff and the company now proceed toward submission of a formal site plan, after which the board will review specific site‑plan elements and determine whether to grant building permits or other approvals.

The action recorded at the meeting was limited to approval of the estoppel statement confirming no current covenant violations; the site plan and any permits remain outstanding and must satisfy the Progress Park covenants before development can proceed.