Planning Commission backs solar project, advances data center restrictions
Fluvanna County’s Planning Commission recommended removing stand-alone data centers as a special-use permit in the county’s I-1 and I-2 industrial districts. Commissioners deferred rules for data centers operating as accessory uses, while residents raised concerns about electricity consumption, water demand and rural land preservation.
The Fluvanna County Planning Commission unanimously recommended removing stand-alone data centers from the list of special uses allowed in the county’s I-1 and I-2 industrial districts. The proposed restrictions will go to the Board of Supervisors, while commissioners continue developing rules for smaller data facilities operating as accessory uses to other businesses.
The commission said additional work was needed to distinguish commercial data centers from businesses that rely heavily on computer servers. Residents urged stronger limits on large data centers, citing power and water consumption and the preservation of rural land. At the same meeting, commissioners also recommended approval of Dimension Energy’s 4.65-megawatt solar project in the West Bottom community, subject to action by the Board of Supervisors.