Local government leaders and residents are navigating multiple proposals from developers to build data centers across the northern Shenandoah Valley. WMRA’s Calvin Pynn reports.
KATE WOFFORD: The way we see it when it comes to this local decision-making is that there's very little oversight at the federal level or at the state level.
That’s Kate Wofford, executive director of the Alliance for The Shenandoah Valley. Part of their mission is to inform residents and advise local governments throughout the valley on how to navigate data center proposals.
WOFFORD: So, it really depends on local governments, county boards of supervisors or city councils to be scrutinizing these proposals.
Meanwhile, planners in Warren County and the town of Front Royal have debated amending their zoning codes to allow data centers in their industrial districts while also pushing to cap the size of the buildings at 100,000 square feet.
Wofford said one of the most important steps local leaders can take is considering each proposal individually, rather than allowing data centers by right, which has sparked concern among residents with the data center proposal in Strasburg, known as Project Tallmadge.
WOFFORD: In other words, data centers were an allowable use in that zoning district which means that the town doesn't have leverage or leeway to say no if it's not a good fit for their town or to regulate the new industry coming in.
Water consumption and electricity demand have been top of mind for many residents living where data centers have been proposed, according to Wofford.
WOFFORD: We're in a pretty severe drought and we know that data centers can be very thirsty industries. We know they use just an astonishing amount of energy and, increasingly across the industry, we are seeing data centers proposed to generate their power onsite.
As local leaders continue weighing the proposals while residents share their concerns in public hearings, state-level discussions continue regarding the extent to which taxpayers should subsidize the data center industry – which is currently exempt from the state’s sales and use tax. The state budget for the next fiscal year must be passed by the end of this month.
For WMRA News, I’m Calvin Pynn.
