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Wythe County planners weigh 'permissive' vs 'prohibitive' zoning approaches and debate data-center rules
Summary
During a lengthy discussion July 6, Wythe County planning commissioners and staff debated whether the draft land-use ordinance should list allowed uses (permissive) or prohibited uses (prohibitive), and whether data centers should remain a special-use-only option in industrial zones; commissioners agreed to seek a joint work session with the Board of Supervisors to continue the review.
A recurring debate over the county’s draft land-use ordinance — including how to regulate data centers — resurfaced at the Wythe County Planning Commission’s July 6 meeting as commissioners weighed two different drafting approaches and agreed to pursue a joint work session with the Board of Supervisors.
At citizens time a resident identified in the transcript as "Mister Kegley" urged the commission not to place data centers in commercial districts and instead keep them subject to special-use review in industrial zones. He said allowing data centers in more areas could create precedents that would make future denials harder: "Imagine a future planning commission and board of supervisors that is approached with a proposal for a data center in Progress Park…he's gonna point over to Lot 35 and say, 'well, you already have one in Progress Park.'"
Deputy County Administrator Hankins told the commission staff could take either drafting track but cautioned that switching to a prohibitive approach would amount to a significant rewrite and require additional sessions to develop a list of prohibitions. Commissioners debated the merits: one commissioner summarized that a prohibitive list could streamline the ordinance (everything not prohibited would be by-right), while others urged care to avoid unintentionally restricting private property rights.
The commission also discussed water and fire-protection implications for potential data-center sites in the eastern county and Progress Park. Commissioners asked whether such projects would rely on public water, wells, or closed-loop cooling that reduces potable-water demand; Hankins said public water for fire protection is likely preferable but that specific approvals and details depend on later stages of any proposal.
Instead of finalizing the ordinance, commissioners agreed to arrange additional work sessions and offered July 27 as a preferred joint date with the Board of Supervisors (July 20 as a fallback), to give staff time to prepare refined language and allow a broader public conversation.
Why it matters: the drafting approach the county adopts will shape how new industrial and commercial uses are reviewed and could affect where large infrastructure projects such as data centers can be located. Commissioners emphasized balancing clarity and property-rights protections while ensuring adequate public notice and special-use review where appropriate.
Next steps: staff will circulate proposed joint-session dates to the Board of Supervisors and continue refining ordinance language for further public meetings and formal hearings.
