The town of Christiansburg is raising the bar for data center construction, following a trend of localities statewide adding more zoning requirements for such projects.
On Tuesday, the town council voted 6-0 to add a conditional use permit provision for any data center request. Before the vote, data centers were allowed by right in general industrial zones. The amendment opens any data center request to more planning review from town officials and more public input.
“Whatever we do now tonight will slow things down, if not sending it to a grinding halt,” said Mayor Mike Barber about potential data center applications. Barber did not vote on the matter because he only does so to break ties.
Prior to the vote, Planning Director Retta Jackson said the town’s definition of data centers is vague compared to Virginia law. Town Attorney Reid Broughton then said that the amendment would be “a good first step” in providing more clarity on how the town defines them.
Significant groundwork was laid before Tuesday. During a June 17 work session, Jackson gave a presentation to the council, citing state Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission findings about the potential benefits of data centers, including substantial revenue from real estate, businesses and personal property taxes.
Jackson went on to discuss how data centers have large construction impacts, limited long-term employment opportunities after construction is completed, large energy demand, potential impacts on residential customers’ electric bills and an incompatibility with proximity to residential areas.
“As you said, some of the data centers are quite small and have very little impact, but what I think scares us most are the ones that are trying to build on a thousand acres of land,” Barber said during the presentation.
Jackson ultimately recommended to council that a conditional use permit process would be the most appropriate tool to ensure compatibility with surrounding land uses while still allowing investment opportunities.
Christiansburg is one of the most recent localities to tighten data center requirements. The Henry County Board of Supervisors approved stricter zoning rules for potential data center development during its Sept. 1 meeting, including a 1,000-foot setback from residential homes. Near Richmond, Goochland County proposed zoning ordinance amendments that include prohibiting data centers outside of its technology overlay district.
“I am very much against data centers right now,” said Christiansburg councilwoman Johana Hicks. “I would really like to work on this rapidly because I don’t want any chances of the data centers coming because we have the incorrect definitions.”
Barber interjected to clarify that a stronger definition provided by staff at a later time would not change the requirement for the conditional use permit.
