MORE
INFORMATION
DATA CENTERS
IS FRANKLIN COUNTY AT RISK?
The FCCC requested a multitude of documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) relating to the zoning rewrite and the contract with the Berkley Group. A series of emails and documents that raised concerns was discovered regarding the distinct possibility that a Data Center could come to Franklin County.
The Current Zoning Ordinance allows Data Centers by-right at the Summit View Business Park.
Even more frightening is that in the non-zoned areas of Franklin County (Snow Creek, Blue Ridge, and Black Water Districts) there are no regulations on Data Centers. There is nothing to stop a Data Center from purchasing large portions of land in those non-zoned areas and build. All they need to do is find a landowner willing to sell. And their lucrative offers make it difficult to say no.
At the recent joint work session between the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission, Supervisor Tim Tatum asked if there was a way to ban Data Centers in the unzoned areas without implementing zoning. No one had an answer.
An email thread between Supervisor Dan Quinn, Economic Development Director Dani Poe, County Administrator Steve Sandy, and Supervisor Lorie Smith indicates that Summit View Business Park is considered a "good fit" for the right data center.
Our Research
A few of these are quite extensive reads
Many rural communities are being told that data centers will create large numbers of jobs and bring long-term economic growth. The reality is more complicated.
Across rural counties in this region, zoning updates are not all doing the same thing. Some are quietly creating a path for data centers by defining and regulating them, while others are tightening control or effectively keeping them out.
The pause of the Zoning Ordinance Draft presents a critical window of opportunity to enact a parallel set of county ordinances that regulate data center operations.
This briefing is prepared for the Board of Supervisors to support informed, evidence-based deliberation on data center development in Franklin County.
What Jobs Do Data Centers Actually Create — and Who Gets Them?
Protecting Unzoned Rural Areas in Franklin County, Virginia
How Protection Tools Work, What Counties Can Legally Do, and What Could Be Added to Chapter 25
A practical estimate of local tax revenue, likely incentives, and the Summit View cost backdrop
Some interesting outside links provide more information on the effects of data centers in communities.
Click on the picture to access the link.
NEWSWEEK:
Map Shows Where Data Centers Are Being Built in Drought-Hit Areas
CONSUMER REPORTS
:
AI Data Centers: Big Tech's Impact on Electric Bills, Water, and More
BROOKINGS:
The local implications of data centers for rural communities in the US
