More than 100 residents packed the Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting room during a data center public hearing on Tuesday night, citing concerns from water and noise to health and animal habitats.
It was one of the latest charged hearings about data centers in Southwest and Southside Virginia, where the issue is a predominant flashpoint across localities.
In Henry County, the board of supervisors was considering proposed changes to the zoning ordinance that would put parameters on data center companies applying for a special use permit. Residents expressed that the proposed regulations weren’t strict enough.
“We’re going back to the drawing board after listening to everything tonight,” said board Chairman Jim Adams.
The board then voted unanimously to remove data centers from the proposed zoning amendments. After removing the changes, the county has no parameters for data centers for the time being. The planning commission will propose new amendments to the zoning ordinance for data centers, but there is no timeline yet for when the proposals will be developed.
The commission discussed the zoning ordinance and developed proposed amendments during a February work session and held a public hearing on the proposed changes in April. No one spoke at the April public hearing.
The changes to the zoning ordinance regarding data centers would have required the company to provide a water impact study, conduct noise testing and meet equipment requirements. It also would have required that a data center would have to be on industrially zoned property.
The changes would “create some minimum guidelines” if a data center were to come to Henry County, said Lee Clark, the county’s director of planning, zoning and building inspections.
“We’re not looking for minimums,” said Melody Cartwright. “We’re looking for strict codification.”
Some residents asked for a moratorium on data centers in the county.
George Lyle, the county attorney, said he does not advise placing a moratorium on data centers because it would put the county in a vulnerable position. Lyle did not elaborate on what that position would be and he could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.
Residents expressed concerns that data center deals are already underway. There are no active proposals for data centers in the county, said County Administrator Dale Wagoner.
Residents spoke during the hearing for about two hours, and some questioned if county officials were receiving kickbacks.
“I love the energy that is in the room tonight,” said Supervisor Garrett Dillard. “The other thing is I haven’t taken any kickbacks, will not take any kickbacks.”
Although the board removed data centers from the proposed changes to the zoning ordinance, the supervisors approved the rest of the amendments.
The amendments included lowering the cap on the amount of land that can be used for solar projects. The cap was lowered to 1,754 acres, which is the amount of land already approved for solar. That means no more solar projects will be approved.
The cap was previously 1% of the county’s available land — which is 2,445 acres. With 1,754 acres already approved for solar use, the county has designated a significant amount of land to solar projects in comparison to surrounding areas.
The next board of supervisors meeting will be on Aug. 25.
