Survey: 741 residents weighed in; data centers strongly discouraged

Berkeley Group presented a summary of community engagement results that consultants said will guide ordinance drafting. The outreach program included a countywide survey, in‑person and virtual workshops, four focus groups and two pop‑up events at the farmer's market.

"In total, we had 741 responses to the survey," Caroline Vanterve told the board, adding that 94% of respondents self‑identified as residents and most were property owners. The survey findings showed strong community support for landscaping and buffering requirements and split opinions on future housing types. Notably, data centers were the most discouraged land use: consultants reported that 87% of respondents said they would not encourage data centers in the county.

Berkeley Group summarized other engagement outputs: farmer's market pop‑ups showed preference for maintaining buffers and tree cover, focus groups offered technical suggestions from practitioners, and public workshops raised themes of context‑sensitive development, open space and connections. The consultants said all raw survey data and the community engagement summary are posted on the project website and will be used to inform drafting.