Hanover rejects Mountain Road data center after marathon meeting
The Hanover County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 to reject a proposed 427-acre data center campus along Mountain Road, effectively blocking the project from Denver-based Tract. The decision followed a lengthy and emotionally charged public hearing, where residents voiced concerns over the project's impact on the county's rural identity, water resources, and electric grid. The proposal included rezoning, conditional use permits, and special exceptions that ultimately failed.
The Hanover County Board of Supervisors narrowly rejected a proposed 427-acre data center campus, known as the Mountain Road Technology Park, after a six-hour public hearing that concluded just before midnight. The board's 4-3 vote effectively denied the rezoning, conditional use permit, and special exception requests for the project, which was backed by Denver-based Tract.
Residents expressed strong opposition, drawing parallels to historical events and arguing that the five data center buildings, up to three substations, and hundreds of megawatts of electric demand would permanently alter the community's rural identity and strain local resources. Concerns included water demand (projected up to 2 million gallons daily), noise, groundwater, traffic, and overall environmental impacts on the Chickahominy River corridor.
Supervisors Susan Dibble, Michael Herzberg, and Ryan Hudson voted in favor, arguing the project aligned with Hanover's comprehensive plan and economic development goals, potentially funding public services and reducing residential tax pressure. However, Supervisors Faye Prichard, Danielle Floyd, Jeff Stoneman, and Board Chairman Sean Davis voted against it, siding with residents who questioned the county's infrastructure capacity and the broader expansion of data centers in Virginia.