The Pittsylvania County Planning Commission will consider a rezoning application submitted by Balico, the Herndon-based company that wants to bring a data center to the Chatham area of the county, at its meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
There will also be a public hearing portion of the meeting, where residents can speak about this item.
County staff recommended denial of this item.
“Based on the lack of finalized proffers adequately addressing staff concerns relating to potential adverse effects on adjacent property owners, staff recommends denial,” the staff report in the meeting’s agenda packet reads. “The applicant has stated that additional revisions to the proffers are to be submitted. Based on those revisions, staff’s recommendation could change.”
Balico withdrew its first application in November in the face of intense opposition from residents and a lack of support from county supervisors.
The new application includes 14 parcels totaling about 763 acres, rather than the original 47 parcels totaling 2,233 acres.
It requests that these parcels be rezoned from agricultural and residential suburban districts to heavy industry districts to allow for 12 data center buildings and onsite power in the form of a 3,500-megawatt power plant, according to the agenda packet.
The original application called for 84 buildings.
The nearby Mountain Valley Pipeline would fuel the power plant, which is one reason that Balico was attracted to this tract of land in the county, said founding member Irfan Ali in November.
The revised proposal does not include updated figures for tax revenue to the county, jobs or wages. Still, Balico claims the project “offers tremendous benefits to all corners of Pittsylvania county,” according to its Nov. 24 statement.
“It will generate millions of dollars annually for education, public safety, and recreation throughout the county, all without relying on property owners to foot the bill,” it says.
The statement also says that this project will create “more than 300 good-paying jobs in a high-tech industry that will remain in the community long after construction has finished and demonstrate that Pittsylvania County is open for business and investment.”
Balico held two community meetings in October to share information and answer resident questions about the original proposal. Since it announced the new proposal, Balico has held a community meeting in Hurt.
At the October meetings in Chatham and Java, residents expressed vehement opposition to the project, concerned about noise and light pollution, traffic, negative environmental effects and damaged viewsheds. They also expressed distrust in the company and doubts about the benefits of data centers.
At the meeting in Hurt, resident opinion was more nuanced, the Danville Register & Bee reported. Residents who lived near the proposed project were still strongly opposed, but others were enticed by the economic benefits it could bring.
After the planning commission votes to recommend approval or denial of the rezoning application, the county board of supervisors will take a final vote at its Feb. 18 meeting.
