Chesterfield Board indicates it won’t approve any more data centers in the county

The Chesterfield Board of Supervisors has expressed a strong desire to halt further data center development within the county, stating they have reached their limit despite Google actively developing three data center campuses. Supervisors Kevin Carroll, Mark Miller, and Jessica Schneider have publicly affirmed that the current board lacks an appetite for additional data centers.

This policy shift is supported by the county's recently adopted zoning ordinance, known as ZoMod, which removes the 'by-right' development allowance for data centers in certain areas. This change mandates that any future data center proposals would require explicit, one-off approval from the Board of Supervisors. Furthermore, the draft of Chesterfield's comprehensive plan, open for public comment until September 11, includes updated language on data centers, outlining that 'mitigation measures, beyond requirements, should be conditioned to ensure that excessive noise, vibration, and/or odor/emissions are not noticeable.' It also calls for evaluations to ensure such developments do not degrade public and private infrastructure, including water and power systems.

Discussions have also included the possibility of raising the county's property tax rate as a deterrent. Supervisor Schneider specifically hopes to increase the rate, currently at 24 cents per $100 of assessed value (which is locked in for Google's 30-year contract), drawing a comparison to Henrico County's recent increase from 40 cents to $2.60 per $100.