Stafford County Supervisors Approve Accokeek Data Center Project
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 to approve the Accokeek data center project in the Falmouth District. The 121-acre development will include two data center buildings and an electrical substation, drawing support over job creation as well as opposition over noise, land use, environmental risks, fuel storage and impacts on nearby residents.
The Stafford County Board of Supervisors approved the Accokeek data center project by a 4-3 vote, with Supervisors Diggs, Evans, Guy and Allen voting in favor. The proposed 121-acre site is in the Falmouth District along Routes 1 and 95, south of the Rappahannock Regional Jail, and is planned to include two data center buildings and an electrical substation.
Public speakers presented competing arguments before the vote. Supporters said the project could bring skilled construction, maintenance and technical jobs closer to Stafford residents and generate economic activity for local businesses. Opponents questioned the rezoning of agricultural land for heavy industrial use and raised concerns about 24-hour noise, forest preservation, diesel fuel storage, spill prevention, impacts to Akit Creek, decommissioning and effects on nearby homeowners and protected resources.