Virginia Beach officials address online posts about data centers in the city

Virginia Beach city officials are publicly addressing widespread online speculation regarding potential data center developments within the city. Councilman Worth Remick stated there are no concrete plans or active discussions for a data center at this time, though the city council is being briefed on the concept. He also expressed personal reservations, stating, "I don't think data centers are the right use" for the city's limited land. Part of the speculation arose from a closed session topic, "Project Hummingbird," which a city spokesperson clarified is unrelated to data centers, instead being a sponsorship request for an event. Another point of concern stemmed from a Virginia Beach Development Authority meeting that discussed approving funds for "Global Link's data centers," which officials explained is not a data center in the traditional sense, but rather a landing site for undersea cables. Despite no current proposals, the planning commission is actively examining how the city would process permits should a data center project be proposed in the future. Mayor Bobby Dyer acknowledged the controversial nature of data centers, assuring the public that they would be involved in any future discussions and decisions.