Residents and supervisors raise heritage and transparency concerns as Wythe County discusses data centers

Residents and supervisors raised concerns about proposed data-center development and transparency at the Wythe County Board of Supervisors meeting on Aug. 24.

Andrew Russell told the board that proposed data-center campuses could threaten Civil War battlefield sites, citing a recent 2,000-acre Manassas data-center proposal that was defeated after a lawsuit over public notice. "Do not let these sharks in the pool with us," Russell said, urging the county to keep tools to block insensitive siting.

During board supervisors time, Supervisor Burnett described a recent fact-finding trip to Henrico County, saying officials there reported the data centers he saw "use a tremendous amount of electricity" but that their staff told the visiting party that "their water usage was 2% of what Henrico County uses." Burnett said staff also tested noise and temperature and found no obvious localized heat or audible equipment noise from 15 miles away, but he cautioned those checks were informal. He said one developer (DECA) that described plans to develop a large campus had offered to meet with residents without non-disclosure agreements.

Earlier in the public-comment period, Tracy Gardocki asked why decisions about data centers are made "behind closed doors" and who authorized Flock surveillance cameras around the county and towns. The board encouraged residents to attend a community meeting on Sept. 3 at 6:00 p.m. to hear developers and staff present information and take public input.

Board members said they want to balance economic development with protections for historic resources and said covenants, zoning and performance standards could shape how data centers are built if they move forward.