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Local Governments Add Data Center Review
Coverage from Loudoun Times, GovTech, and others
Articles
17
Active Days
55
The Topic
Cities and counties in Virginia, North Carolina, and Michigan are rewriting or preparing zoning rules to give local officials more control over future data center proposals. The changes commonly move projects from by-right development toward conditional or special-use review, public hearings, and clearer siting standards. Officials are balancing potential jobs, tax revenue, and digital infrastructure benefits against concerns about noise, water consumption, electricity demand, environmental effects, and neighborhood impacts.
First Article: 06/03/26
Latest Article: 07/27/26
Summary
- Loudoun County ended by-right data center zoning in 2025 and now requires board votes on incoming applications.
- Amherst County is pursuing special-use review for data centers in its M-1 industrial district.
- Chesapeake is proposing conditional-use rules and a citywide policy after identifying more than 27,000 residential parcels within 500 feet of potentially suitable sites.
- Hampton hired a research firm to draft zoning guidance before any data center proposal has been submitted.
- Southport and Pittsfield Township are preparing conditional or defined-use rules even though no Southport project is currently planned.
- Noise, water consumption, electricity demand, and transmission infrastructure are recurring community concerns.
- Public hearings, town halls, roundtables, and comment periods are becoming central to local decision-making.
History
The update mainly sharpens the story from a general trend toward local review into a more explicit shift away from by-right data center zoning. It also adds Pittsfield Township and the regional infrastructure angle, reinforcing that communities are increasingly formalizing siting controls before projects arrive.
The story broadens materially from a Virginia-only zoning shift to a multi-state pattern, with Loudoun County now explicitly requiring board votes on all incoming data center applications and Hampton, Southport, and Pittsfield Township added as new jurisdictions shaping policy. The emphasis also moves from general public-review trends to concrete implementation steps like commissioning guidance, drafting conditional-use rules, and setting public hearings.
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Timeline: 55 Days
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