Hanover supervisors reject data center project on Mountain Road

The Hanover Board of Supervisors in Virginia voted 4-3 to deny a rezoning request from Denver-based company Tract for its proposed Mountain Road Technology Park data center project. The project, planned for nearly 430 acres on Mountain Road, was rejected after months of county review, community meetings, and a two-hour public hearing where over 30 people spoke against the proposal.

Tract had made several proffers to address community concerns, including a $15 million payment for a pump station and water storage tank, limitations on commercial vehicle access, road improvements, and a $6 million payment for land conservation and parks. They also agreed to allow the county's planning director to request additional noise studies annually at the owner's expense. Despite these efforts and a recommendation for approval from the Hanover Planning Commission, supervisors Faye Prichard, Danielle Floyd, Sean Davis, and Jeff Stoneman voted to deny the application.

Supervisors who voted against the project, such as Jeff Stoneman, primarily cited concerns over the project's anticipated water usage, which was projected to be an average of 600,000 gallons per day with a peak of 2 million gallons. Stoneman also worried about the project's industrial nature at a main entry point into the county. Conversely, Supervisor Sue Dibble, who represents the project's district, argued that the revised proposal adequately addressed resident concerns and aligned with the county's long-standing economic development vision for the Route 33 corridor.

The 900-megawatt project would have included multiple data centers and substations on a largely undeveloped, wooded site. While this project was rejected, Tract is also working on a data center campus near Ashland, and other data center developments are ongoing in the region, including QTS expansions in Henrico and new tech overlay districts in Goochland and New Kent counties.