HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico County officials are reevaluating their strategy for regulating one of Virginia's fastest-growing economic sectors: data centers, which are large warehouses that house servers, computer processing equipment, and data storage devices.
The Henrico Board of Supervisors voted Thursday night to delay making a decision on new regulations for data centers after more than three hours of public comment and board discussion.
"We don't mind development but we want responsible development," said one Henrico resident during the meeting.
"My concern is this process," another resident said.
The proposal would require data center applicants outside of the existing White Oak Technology Park in Sandston to submit a special permit that includes a public hearing, studies, and approval from the board of supervisors.
"I'm very concerned with slowing down data centers... the question in my mind is what is the best way to do it," said one board member.
"If we don't support this then bi right development will continue and data centers will continue to pop in the Varina district outside the tech park and all over," another board member said.
Virginia has the largest data center market in the world according to The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, with most facilities located in Northern Virginia. Henrico County already has 40 data centers, and other localities like Chesterfield County are looking to add their own.
A study ordered by Virginia lawmakers found data centers provide significant economic benefits like additional revenue and jobs. However, they also place heavy demands on the energy infrastructure, which may not be sustainable for the future.
Several businesses spoke in favor of data centers during the meeting, though they requested the board grandfather in projects already in the pipeline into the new zoning.
"We're concerned with the zoning ordinance as written sets a dangerous precedent not just for this district and not just data center developers but for any business coming to Henrico," one representative said.
Opponents expressed concerns about potential environmental impact, security risks, and the strain data centers could place on the county's power supply. They asked the board to delay the vote to allow more time for information collection and public processing of such a change.
"Take your time in making these decisions. This is not new. It doesn't matter how many times people say grandfathered and the county promised. The county has made mistakes," one community member said.
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