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Residents press planning commission to reject Mountain Road data center, citing water, noise and farmland loss
Summary
Dozens of residents urged denial during a lengthy public hearing, raising technical and emotional objections to the Mountain Road Technology Park’s scale, water demands and potential noise; several speakers asked for a moratorium on further data center approvals.
Opponents of the proposed Mountain Road data center campus filled the public comment portion of the meeting with repeated objections to water demand, noise and loss of farmland and rural character.
“I do not believe that these proffers are sufficient to mitigate the impacts—this proposal would turn rural land into industrial corridors and harm our water and night skies,” said Ashley Covington (Cold Harbor District), one of many residents who testified against the project. Commenters pressed staff and the developer on peak water demand (modeling showed average usage of 600,000 gallons per day and a peak estimate of 2,000,000 gallons), noting that the project could use a very large share of capacity in the Elmont pressure zone on peak days.
Acoustical concerns were raised repeatedly: residents and a private acoustician warned that steady low‑frequency noise (measured in C‑weighted decibels) can cause persistent disturbance and that the county’s existing DBA‑focused ordinance may not capture continuous low‑frequency impacts. “These are not transient spikes; they’re steady 24/7 sources that our ordinances may not address adequately,” said an acoustical expert at the hearing. Opponents asked commissioners to either deny the rezoning or require stricter DBC/DBC metrics and enforceable retrofit requirements as a condition of approval.
The commission heard support testimony as well: construction trades and local contractors emphasized jobs during construction and ongoing maintenance and argued the development would generate sustained tax revenue and middle‑class trades employment. The applicant noted proffers intended to address the most frequently cited concerns: larger buffers, limitations on generator testing hours, sound‑attenuation enclosures and a $15 million proffer to build water storage and pump infrastructure. Despite the depth of opposition, the commission voted to forward a recommendation of approval to the Board of Supervisors with additional study requests and conditions.
