HANOVER COUNTY, Va. β The Hanover County Planning Commission voted against recommending a rezoning request that would have allowed HHHunt to develop a 10-building data center campus at the Hunting Hawk Golf Club site near the Wyndham community in western Henrico County.
The Hanover Board of Supervisors will make the final decision when they vote during their Feb. 25 meeting.
HHHunt promoted potential economic benefits of the data center project, suggesting money generated by the centers could help lower rising Hanover property taxes.
"The tax burden on residents is already high. I don't want to sacrifice schools, parks, or service just avoid growth. I want Hanover to grow responsibly prosper and become stronger. We need addition Tax revenue and data centers like Hunting Hawk could provide that," a supporter said during a public comment session at the meeting.
Feedback at the meeting was overwhelmingly against the project as neighbors in both Hanover and Henrico argued that the risk of job loss and environmental damage from the rise of emerging technology like artificial intelligence could ultimately punish the county economically.
"The average working-class person gains no benefit from AI. AI is eliminating job at an increasing rate. The mad rush to build these facilities also backs up the fact that this is a bubble that will soon burst," a person against the project said at the meeting.
The vote comes as debates over data centers play out across Central Virginia.
Those general concerns were highlighted during a zoom meeting held by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.
Sen. Russet Perry, who wants to reintroduce legislation that would hold data centers and major corporations accountable for energy usage, was on the call.
"This bill focuses on the larger picture. Who pays for the power system built to serve them? Without the legislation, families and small businesses can still end up subsidizing the infrastructure. The lines, substations, and transmission protects needed for data centers," Perry said.
While some localities fight against rezoning, others have been embracing it.
Details were recently revealed about two data center buildings at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield County.
In November, Goochland supervisors approved a technology overlay district despite public backlash. While there are currently no plans for data centers in Goochland, leaders say the move is beneficial for residents because it establishes development guidelines like limitations on generator operating times, restricted construction hours, building height restrictions, and sound abatement requirements.
Petersburg also jumped into the race for data centers, touting a $1 billion development plan they say could bring dozens of jobs into the county.
"How can we be state of the art with Technology? Data Centers are that future," Petersburg City Councilperson Arnold Westbrook Jr. said.
While city leaders said the economic potential could be close to a billion dollars, not everyone in Petersburg thinks data centers are a good idea.
"We've got about 50 signatures of people that oppose the rezoning and to add these roads and we're going to take it to the planning commission tomorrow," Petersburg resident Scott Perkins said.
A formal vote on those Petersburg plans won't happen until March.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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