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Board removes 'data processing facility' references from zoning ordinance
Summary
Following Planning Commission recommendations, the Smyth County Board voted July 9 to repeal references to 'data processing facility' from zoning sections; County Attorney warned the change removes an existing regulatory pathway for data centers unless new language is adopted.
The Smyth County Board voted on July 9 to approve a Planning Commission recommendation to repeal references to "data processing facility" from multiple sections of the county zoning ordinance. The Planning Commission recorded votes recommending the repeal and tabled a separate text-amendment defining "Data Center" for further consideration.
County Attorney Scot Farthing told the Board that approving the repeal "would remove the unclear definition of 'data processing facility' and not provide a pathway for data centers to locate in Smyth County, unless the zoning ordinance is amended to include this language." The Board approved the Planning Commission recommendation to repeal the existing references; the effect is to eliminate the prior term from the ordinance until a replacement definition or regulatory pathway is considered.
