The statewide data center discussion returns to Campbell County this week as its planning commission and board of supervisors consider the official adoption of a zoning ordinance that requires data center developers to obtain special-use permits.
The zoning amendment was adopted as an emergency ordinance by a 5-2 vote on Dec. 2. It removed data centers from the list of by-right uses in the county’s heavy industrial zones and put them instead on the list that requires special board approval.
Because the change was adopted as an emergency ordinance, it is only valid for 60 days and must be readopted by the board of supervisors — pending review from the planning commission and a public hearing — to become permanent, according to a memo submitted with the board’s agenda.
The planning commission meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, and the public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. during the board of supervisors’ Tuesday meeting. Both meetings will be hosted in the Haberer Building board room in Rustburg and accessible via Zoom.
Campbell County joins other Virginia localities in debating what role, if any, data centers should play in regional development. Opponents say data centers negatively affect electricity rates, local water supply and the rural character of communities. Advocates say data centers bring jobs and tax money to communities that have otherwise been underinvested in. The data center industry creates an estimated $9.1 billion in GDP and 74,000 jobs for Virginia annually, according to a 2024 state report.
The most significant efforts to restrain the spread of data centers didn’t make it through the General Assembly in 2025, which leaves localities to decide for themselves if and how land-use laws should be amended to govern where the facilities can be built.
Campbell County’s emergency amendment was passed after residents raised concerns about two proposed data center projects, one off Cabin Field Road and one off Mt. Athos Road. According to a county press release, an appeal is pending for the Cabin Field Road project, and conversations about the Mt. Athos Road project have stalled since initial concept plans were submitted in February 2024. Both projects are allowed by-right, said county attorney F.E. “Tripp” Isenhour at the Dec. 2 meeting, because they were proposed before the emergency amendment took effect.
Regardless of the outcome of the two proposed projects, residents who spoke at the Dec. 2 meeting said they feared that other developers would flock to Campbell County if they learned that data centers were allowed in the area by right.
In response, the board of supervisors passed the zoning amendment as an emergency ordinance alongside a package of other zoning code updates. The updates are made semiannually to mirror state law changes and address concerns from residents and supervisors. The data center amendment was submitted to county staff with the original package of changes, but due to an advertisement error, it was not included in the public notice and thus could not be voted on with the rest of the package, Isenhour explained at the Dec. 2 meeting.
If the emergency ordinance is readopted by a vote on Tuesday, all data center proposals in the county will need to come before the board of supervisors for a public hearing and board vote before being approved for special-use permits.
Tuesday’s board meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., is the first of 2026. It will include a variety of agenda items to set the county on track for the new year, including:
- Votes to select the new chair and vice chair of the board, who serve one-year terms;
- A presentation of the audited 2025 fiscal year financial report;
- A 2027 budget public forum in which residents can share their recommendations on budget planning priorities for the upcoming year.