Documents reveal details on several data center projects in Petersburg’s pipeline
Petersburg, Virginia has at least four data center projects in the pipeline from developers NuVu Real Estate, Menlo Digital, Wagner Properties, and Warrenton Group. NuVu and Wagner Properties have secured site plan approvals, while Menlo Digital and Warrenton Group's projects are still undergoing various approval stages. The city recently amended its zoning code to permit data centers by-right in certain industrial zones.
Petersburg, Virginia, is set to become a significant data center hub with at least four major projects underway, as revealed through city documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests by Richmond BizSense. The projects include a 75-acre, 300-megawatt facility by Northern Virginia-based NuVu Real Estate, which secured its first site plan approval in February. NuVu's project benefits from a 2024 zoning code change allowing data centers by-right in its M-1 Light Industrial zone, bypassing the need for city council approval or public hearings. The estimated $1.1 billion NuVu campus plans to utilize a closed-loop water system and connect to Dominion Energy's grid via clean energy sources.
Other projects in the pipeline are a 74-acre campus by California-based Menlo Digital, a 73-acre project by Prince George-based Wagner Properties, and a 175-acre campus by D.C.-based Warrenton Group. Wagner Properties received site plan approval in April, while Menlo Digital's site plan is still pending. Warrenton Group secured zoning approval last year, with its site plan amended in February to expand the project footprint. Petersburg's interim planning director, Jared Crews, confirmed the varying stages of approval, noting that NuVu and Wagner have received site plan approvals, while Menlo Digital's and Warrenton Group's updated plans are still awaiting resubmission or approval for a land disturbance permit.
Petersburg City Councilmember Arnold Westbrook Jr. expressed support for the data center developments, viewing them as crucial for the city's economic resurgence and diversification of its commercial and industrial base. He emphasized the need for transparency, accountability, and community benefit while pursuing innovation. This local enthusiasm contrasts with the mixed reception data centers have received in neighboring counties, such as Hanover and Goochland, where projects by LS Power, Tract, and HHHunt have faced withdrawals or denials of zoning requests.