Public hearing on Winchester Gateway data center set for Wednesday's Planning Commission meeting
Frederick County Planning Commission is holding two public hearings: one for a conditional-use permit for the Winchester Gateway data center campus, and another for a proposed ordinance to remove data centers as a permitted use in the county. Concerns include noise, water usage, electricity infrastructure, and potential impacts on Civil War battlefield viewsheds. The Historic Resources Advisory Board previously recommended denial of the data center application.
The Frederick County Planning Commission is holding two significant public hearings related to data centers. One hearing is for a conditional-use permit (CUP) application from Winchester Gateway LLC to develop a 71.85-acre data center campus, known as Winchester Gateway, in the Kernstown area. This proposed campus would include three 60-foot-tall data center buildings, an electrical substation, and 42 backup generators, and if approved by the Board of Supervisors, would be the county's first data center campus. The Historic Resources Advisory Board previously recommended denying this application.
Concerns raised by commissioners during an earlier meeting included low-frequency noise, water usage, and the potential need for new power lines. In response, Winchester Gateway LLC provided a revised plan, though county planning staff still question the sufficiency of existing transmission lines and recommend a maximum building height of 45 feet due to the site's proximity to a Civil War battlefield. The applicant argues that taller buildings could reduce noise. Winchester Gateway LLC has also agreed to limit water usage to 35,000 gallons per day.
The second public hearing concerns a proposed ordinance amendment to remove data centers as a permitted and conditional use in all county zoning districts, effectively preventing future data center development. This amendment was authorized by the Board of Supervisors on August 11, following a legal opinion from Frederick County Attorney Andrew Fox which indicated a general moratorium was not legally viable. If approved, Frederick County would be one of the first in Virginia to implement such a broad restriction, although existing applications like Winchester Gateway would not be affected.