The Chesapeake City Council won’t review applications for data centers for the next eight months, or until they approve a formal data center policy.
The council unanimously passed a resolution at its Tuesday meeting that delayed consideration for conditional use permit or zoning change applications for data centers.
In the meantime, the council will finalize the data center policy Chesapeake’s Planning Commission sent to them, gather public input and research industry best practices.
The commission recommended approval on July 8 for the policy and a proposed amendment to the city’s zoning ordinance.
The amendment would require the council to review applications on a case-by-case basis and create noise limits and setbacks for data centers.
Under the drafted policy, data center applicants would have to present an evaluation of elements including land conservation, site design, buffer yards, risk management and public outreach as a part of the review process. The council will use the commission’s policy as a starting point to create a final version during the moratorium.
Some public commenters asked the council to increase setbacks and require reporting of water consumption and noise monitoring results.
Others questioned if a data center belonged in Chesapeake at all. The council unanimously rejected a proposal for one in the city last year after widespread community objection.
“Create a three-mile island so that Chesapeake will have zero suitable sites for data centers,” resident Linda Tindell said. “And we will not have to come down here for each and every conditional use permit.”
City Attorney Catherine Lindley explained the city could not ban data centers outright due to state code, though it could regulate them.
Many commenters supported the idea of the moratorium, but others called the extra time a delay intended to push the issue beyond the November general election.
“You’ve had four years,” Chesapeake resident Ozan Duran said during public comment. “If council still cannot write enforceable protections, what were those four years for? The people do not want this.”
Councilmember Amanda Newins said the hold would allow the city to pump the brakes and gather public input during planned community meetings before finalizing a policy.
The zoning amendment will appear before the council August 18.