CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Albemarle County staff will update the Board of Supervisors October 1 on data center zoning and will recommend pausing consideration of new regulations and any potential overlay districts. A county release says “county staff have conducted extensive research into the data center industry, reviewed and updated local regulations, and engaged with the community to understand opportunities and concerns” in examining the potential for large data centers. But county staff will recommend the pause to monitor a changing regulatory environment, evaluate an evolving nature of data center designs and those impacts, and consider adoption of any upcoming legislation that may pass next winter’s General Assembly session.
In the meantime, county staff notes an existing ordinance is in effect that requires a special use permit for any data center larger than 40,000 square feet. A review of such a request requires public input, and careful evaluation of the character of an area and the potential impacts. In addition, the process, according to county staff, “provides the opportunity to apply the most up-to-date regulations and conditions to each proposal based on its specific design.
County staff urges anyone with an interest in this issue to attend the October 1 Board of Supervisors meeting, and you can click here for more details.
