Folks in Botetourt County have been very clear about what they expect from their board of supervisors, and I’m proud to represent the Blue Ridge District. You have told us to work hard to keep taxes low, do not overdevelop the county and provide top-notch public services.
I agree with these priorities 100%; however, these goals often clash. It is tough to keep taxes low and still provide great services, especially when we need a certain amount of development to generate revenue. Usually, a county like ours has to choose two out of those three priorities.
That is why the proposed data center at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield is such a great fit for Botetourt. It is not every day we find a project that aligns with all of our priorities; fortunately, this project does.
This facility will bring in significant tax revenue, helping fund the county services you rely on, without asking local taxpayers to pay more. This project will not have a large number of employees and should not create the need to build new schools to support the effort. However, I do realize we need to update schools, and this project may provide a way to fund those needs. With the data center campus concept, it is expected that there would be more than one building; however, each building will need additional investments from the company and will, in turn, provide additional revenues for the county. And with each building, there will be a need to add more employees; however, it will be slower growth than with one large production facility with a thousand or more employees all at once.
Now, I know there are concerns about data centers, especially with how many have popped up in Northern Virginia. However, there is a difference in having a data center here versus other parts of the commonwealth. The difference: In places like that, they have put these facilities right next to schools, neighborhoods and previous battlefields. That is not the case here. Greenfield is the perfect spot for a project like this. It is already zoned for industrial and data center use. It will also be located in the heart of our industrial development.
If you visit Greenfield’s industrial park today, you will see it is already home to manufacturing plants working on everything from auto parts to heavy-duty equipment. And the minute you leave the park, you are back in the beautiful landscapes of Botetourt — with stunning views of the Blue Ridge and the Appalachian Mountains.
This is all part of a plan our county leaders put in place more than 30 years ago. They made sure Greenfield was set up for industry, with infrastructure and zoning in place to attract businesses. Back in the day, the word “data center” probably did not even exist. Thanks to their foresight, we’ve seen millions in investments focused in one area, and now this new project will utilize and add value to the success of Greenfield without adding more traffic.
As a lifelong conservative and proud supporter of President Donald Trump, who, during his first days back at the White House, announced private sector investment of up to $500 billion to fund infrastructure for artificial intelligence (and data centers) during his term as president, I’m happy to say this project in Botetourt is in line with the goals of the White House. This is why this private investment in Botetourt is such a big deal, because it can be considered part of a larger goal. As one of your leaders, I feel strongly that we need to seize this opportunity to protect our county from over-taxation and uncontrolled growth, so we can keep Botetourt’s unique character for years to come. This project will provide non-citizen dollars to assist with funding schools, local government operations and first responders. This is a way to finance the best services available and have someone else pay for them.
If you have any questions about this new project, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to me. My door is always open.
Walter Michael represents the Blue Ridge District on the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors. He is a Republican.
