Fredericksburg Area Planning Bodies to Discuss Data Center Zoning and Tax Rates
The Fredericksburg region is preparing for several key discussions and votes on data center developments this week. The Fredericksburg City Council will consider Penzance's revised data center proposal, which previously faced denial recommendations. Additionally, the Caroline County Planning Commission is set to vote on Luck Stone's Carmel Technology and Enterprise Center, and the Stafford County Planning Commission will address the Accokeek Center project.
This week's Fredericksburg Free Press agenda highlights multiple significant data center developments slated for discussion and votes across the region. The Fredericksburg City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Tuesday regarding a zoning map amendment and special-use permit application from Penzance, a Maryland-based real estate company. Penzance seeks to construct a data center spanning one million square feet across two buildings near Interstate 95 and Cowan Boulevard, a revised proposal from previous iterations that the city planning commission had twice recommended denying. In anticipation of the hearing, Penzance has launched an extensive public engagement campaign, including mailers and recorded phone calls to city residents.
Separately, the Caroline County Planning Commission is expected to vote on Thursday on the Carmel Technology and Enterprise Center project, a decision deferred from last month. Luck Stone, the developer, has offered community benefits, including a community center for Oxford Mount Zion Baptist Church and assistance to other local churches and schools, in exchange for county approval. However, a $25,000 proffer to the Musical Creations Foundation raised skepticism due to a potential conflict of interest involving a commissioner's wife.
Another data center project, the Accokeek Center in the Falmouth District, is on the agenda for the Stafford County Planning Commission's Wednesday meeting, after its discussion was deferred in April. The regional planning body is also set to revisit the tax rate for data center equipment across the Fredericksburg area.