Lynchburg and Amherst County Consider New Data Center Zoning Regulations
Two Lynchburg-area governments, the City of Lynchburg and Amherst County, are proactively drafting zoning amendments to regulate future data center development. Lynchburg's planning commission has recommended requiring conditional use permits for data centers, while Amherst's board of supervisors has directed its planning commission to work on special-use permit requirements for industrial zones. These measures aim to establish clear guidelines before any specific data center projects are announced.
Governments in the Lynchburg area are taking proactive steps to regulate future data center development through zoning changes. The Lynchburg planning commission recently voted unanimously to recommend a zoning amendment that would formally define data centers, establish specific zoning standards for them, and mandate that they obtain a conditional use permit before locating in industrial and institutional districts. This proposal is now advancing to the Lynchburg City Council for further review and potential approval later this summer.
In a parallel move, the Amherst County board of supervisors directed its planning commission to develop a similar zoning amendment. This amendment would require data centers to obtain a special-use permit if they wish to build within the county's industrial zone. Both localities emphasize that these regulatory efforts are preemptive, as no specific data center projects have yet been announced in either the city or the county. The aim is to establish clear guidelines and give residents and elected officials a greater say in how land is developed before specific proposals emerge.