HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — Based on public comments from recent meetings and signs throughout Hanover County, there's a vocal population of county residents who don't want to see data centers built near their communities. But less than a month after the county shot down one proposal for a 400-acre Hunting Hawk data center project off Ashland Road, another proposal is being considered off Route 33 near the Hanover-Henrico line.
According to proposal documents, the data center would be one part of a larger technology park master plan with a 427-acre footprint with primary and secondary entrances on Mountain Road and an emergency access point on Winns Church Road.
The center could use an estimated 600,000 gallons of water per day once fully operational, would require an estimated 900 megawatts of power and account for nearly 1,500 daily trips in and out of the technology park onto the major thoroughfares, according to documents.
Much of that traffic would drive right by Kitchen 33.
"We've got clean food, clean water and everything we make is made real here and made locally," said Chris Walton, owner of the restaurant. "It's very convenient as a restaurant. We're a quarter mile off of Interstate 295 and Exit 49A and we're the last untapped exit out of the city."
Walton recognizes the economic opportunity a data center might bring, but is skeptical of its real effectiveness over time.
"Hanover County is a great place. They need money, the schools need to be renovated, they're old," he said. "But also data centers is something that's going to be obsolete in five to eight years from now."
Walton is unsure if he'll make it out to Thursday evening's Board of Commissioners meeting where more details about the rezoning proposal by digital infrastructure and data center developer known as Tract will be discussed. But he says he will be present for Friday's balloon test over the potential area for the project.
The county is putting on a balloon test Friday morning where they actually tether a balloon to the height of the building to let everyone know the visual impact.
Ultimately, as with data center meetings of the past, Walton hopes that the county considers the desires of its residents.
"They've had several meetings here and there pretty clear on what the community wants here," he said. "We're hoping that the county officials will listen to the public and listen to this community and make the right decision."
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