Nicole Pendleton outlines Botetourt County oversight for planned Google data center

Nicole Pendleton, director of community development for Botetourt County, told the County Conversations podcast in summer 2026 that the county is using its existing zoning, permitting and interagency review processes to oversee the Google data center planned for the Botetourt Center at Greenfield. The project follows earlier planning and a rezoning history for the park that staff say were intended to attract high-technology and advanced manufacturing uses.

Pendleton said data centers were recommended to be allowed as a by-right use in the Research And Advanced Manufacturing (RAM) District because other, more intensive industrial uses are already permitted there and because the park is governed by private covenants in addition to county ordinance requirements. "There are a lot of checks and balances in play," she said, describing the recommendations the planning staff gave to the planning commission and the board.

She outlined the county's multi-step review process for changes to code and for individual development proposals. Before a zoning text amendment or similar ordinance change is placed on a public hearing agenda, the board first considers whether the request merits staff and planning commission review. Pendleton said the county advertised and held public hearings as part of that process and that related actions to add land to the RAM District and to amend zoning text took place in November 2024. Details of vote tallies were not specified in the podcast.

On technical reviews and construction sequencing, Pendleton said Google has submitted mass grading plans and is working with the county on phased grading. County reviewers cover zoning, building, stormwater, and erosion and sediment controls; internal reviews also involve emergency services and coordination with the Western Virginia Water Authority and VDOT. Pendleton said the county has contracted an independent third-party stormwater/erosion reviewer to provide additional plan checks and that state code permits the county to rely on certified design professionals and special inspections when specialized equipment or installations exceed the county's in-house expertise.

She described several site protections and permit conditions the county is enforcing or requesting from the applicant: a 75-foot required landscaping buffer with evergreen plantings where the park adjoins residential properties; a 100-foot conservation easement buffer that limits uses in that strip; and an additional 200-foot "good neighbor" buffer on the north side of the project. Pendleton said grading or tree clearing in those buffer areas is permitted only to reduce visibility of the buildings or to prepare ground that will be restored to provide better long-term screening.

Pendleton addressed common neighborhood concerns about noise, lighting and visibility. She cited Botetourt County's noise ordinance and said that operational sound is limited so it "cannot be audible off the site," noting a measurement point 50 feet from the property line; she said Google has told county staff it intends to meet the ordinance and will use sound-monitoring equipment. On lighting she said Botetourt's lighting rules require shielded, downward-directed fixtures and that site plans must show light levels do not exceed 0.2 foot-candles at the property line.

On building scale and siting, Pendleton said the proposed data center buildings are single-story and that, in the most recent plans she cited, the closest structure was roughly 400 feet from adjacent properties; she presented that as an approximate distance. She said the planned scale and setbacks, together with buffers and screening, are intended to preserve the park's viewshed and not to overwhelm adjacent areas.

Traffic and construction logistics were also discussed. Pendleton said data centers produce far fewer daily employee trips than many manufacturing or distribution facilities, but acknowledged that construction will generate significant truck and contractor traffic. To manage that, she said Google is coordinating with the county and VDOT on a separate access north of International Parkway to funnel most construction traffic away from the park's main entry. She also described "Trailer Town" — temporary on-site trailers and facilities for subcontractors — and said each unit and other site features such as retaining walls will require building permits and separate inspections.

Pendleton highlighted a financial safeguard the county requires before major grading is allowed: a bond or similar security large enough, with contingency, to allow the county to restore the site if an applicant abandoned work. She said securing those bond amounts is an important step after plan approval and prior to significant site disturbance.

On oversight and timing, Pendleton said state agencies — including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and, where applicable, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — have permitting authority for some environmental aspects, and county review is intended to align with state rules. She noted that Google had discussed a potential groundbreaking in late 2026 but that grading, permitting and phased construction will stretch across multiple years.

"We want to deliver services to everybody in the county," Pendleton said, describing the multiple reviewers and inspections that will sign off before vertical construction moves ahead. The county encouraged residents with questions to use the official hearing and comment channels as staff continue plan reviews and interagency coordination.

The next procedural steps remain plan approvals, securing bond amounts, state and federal permits where required, and continued coordination with VDOT on the new access. Groundbreaking discussions point to late 2026 as a possible start for on-site construction, but Pendleton emphasized that multiple permits and phases will determine the actual schedule.