Google considers 1,000-acre data center campus at West Creek in Goochland
Google is considering a 1,000-acre, 1,200-megawatt data center campus at the West Creek Business Park in Goochland County. Residents in Goochland and neighboring Henrico County are concerned about noise, pollution, lighting, waterway impacts and the broader effect on the community, while county officials say Google has not submitted formal project plans.
A newly unsealed nondisclosure agreement confirms that Google is conducting due diligence on a potential data center campus at the West Creek Business Park in Goochland County. State Corporation Commission filings and county information indicate the proposed site spans about 1,000 acres near Route 288 and could support a 1,200-megawatt facility near the Henrico County line.
Residents have raised concerns about noise, nighttime lighting, pollution and the project’s effect on the county’s character. Some also cited Google’s dispute with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality over discharges affecting waterways at a separate peanut-processing facility in Chesterfield County. Goochland County officials said they have not received formal plans, while Google said it remains in the site-evaluation and due-diligence phase and intends to work transparently with residents and local leaders. The Goochland Board of Supervisors approved a technology overlay district last year to attract technology businesses and expand the tax base, but residents have used Freedom of Information Act records to organize opposition.