HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Henrico County Board of Supervisors has approved a request to own more than 600 acres of land in the eastern part of the county. Used for data center development.
At a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, the board voted unanimously to allow the land, totaling just over 622 acres, to be used for manufacturing and production by developer Hooligan. Specifically, the request mentions both data centers and “advanced manufacturing” facilities.
There was discussion at the meeting that other types of facilities, such as office buildings, may also be possible depending on interest.
These parcels are located on the north and south sides of East Williamsburg Road at its intersection with Technology Boulevard. It is also adjacent to Interstate 295 and I-64. Most of the land planned for development is currently forested.
According to a description of the request provided during the meeting by Planning Director Joe Emerson, a total of 65% of the space is to be developed, and this “developable area” is defined as one of the two maps shown below. It is marked in blue on the first map. This means that 35% of the land marked in brown will be left undeveloped.
Emerson said many of the planning decisions replicate development decisions made at White Oak Technology Park, where several other Henrico data centers are located.
Mr. Emerson said during the meeting Mr. Hourigan was asked whether solar panels could be installed on the roofs of data centers to offset environmental concerns associated with them. This is reportedly not possible because data centers are designed with rooftop cooling equipment.
But Hooligan and Dominion Energy have committed $5 million to provide solar panels on up to 250 homes in Henrico County, Emerson said. Priority will reportedly be given to new affordable housing, but the focus will not be limited to such properties.
Virginia is Largest concentration of data centers In the world. Henrico County already has some of them.
During the meeting, there was fruitful discussion among board members and representatives regarding this request, highlighting a variety of points, from noise and air pollution to the potential for overuse of water.
During the public comment period, many residents participated to speak on the topic.
Environmental concerns were mentioned most often by those opposed to the development. Some residents were concerned about the high level of industrialization in the neighborhood and what project planners described as a decade of construction noise. In addition, several speakers raised health concerns regarding air pollution from generators that will be installed on site.
The board wanted developers to commit to internally monitoring air pollution from their facilities and providing information to the public, rather than simply relying on required annual reports.
Representatives called the request “extremely unusual,” and although they did not intend to make this commitment at the time of the meeting, they are reportedly prepared to comply in the future depending on how the situation develops.
There was also discussion about what kind of data center to build. Representatives said they could not say whether the data center would focus on artificial intelligence, and that the deal has not yet been confirmed because development permits are required before that can happen.
Concerns were expressed about how much more energy demand artificial intelligence would require. Additionally, some residents expressed ethical concerns about AI and said they did not want an AI-specific data center located in the county.
Those who spoke in favor of the development said they believed the economic value of the data center would benefit local communities by increasing property values and creating jobs. For example, the electricians' union voiced its support, saying it would not only help keep employees working, but also provide more apprenticeships.
Henrico's data center has so far generated about $18 million in tax revenue for the county, according to data provided by Emerson. Following comments from residents, board members discussed whether taxes on data centers should be increased to further benefit the county.
Representatives say the project will take some time to get off the ground, and the 10-year construction period could be several years away.