Mountain Road Technology Park Deferred

Hanover County residents and neighbors from Henrico, Goochland and the City of Richmond filled the auditorium at the Hanover Government Center on 2/19, and they came prepared with tough questions and hard facts for the Planning Commission.

The TLDR

After a presentation from the applicant, speakers in support of and opposed as well as discussion by the commissioners, a motion to defer the vote (with direction provided to the applicant) was unanimously approved.

The direction provided to the applicant by the Planning Commission:

• Include items 1-16 in the staff report – specifically more detail to show the proposal is consistent with the small area plan including but not limited to view-shed, mechanical equipment screening, etc
• Recommend limiting generator testing time to 8AM-4PM Monday – Friday (reducing from 7AM-7PM Monday-Saturday)
• Proffers 6, 9 and 12 should apply to all perimeter boundaries for noise, view-shed, and buffers
• Provide clarification on peak water demand (presentation stated average of 600K gallons and Q&A revealed peak of 2M gallons)
• Add staff recommendations 1-9 (pages 26-28 of staff report) related to the main substation CUP. Make the setback/buffer from this at least 300′. Structural poles should be brown/rust to blend and 20′ screened fencing around substation
• Traffic, specifically the left turn onto 33 toward 295 needs a real solution and not flaggers
• Remove usage of ‘Tier 4 Equivalent’ from the description of Tier 4 generators
• Recommend reducing water usage with re-circulation (closed loop cooling)
• Consider bond for decommissioning of electrical substations
• Add two additional balloon locations to the balloon test on the back side of Grassy Swamp and publish updated balloon test date/time on the Hanover County Planning Website
• Commission requests ten days to add more questions or recommendations to this motion

The Long Version

A representative from Tract, a data center land acquisition and development company, presented their high level proposal followed by public comment.

As we saw with the Hunting Hawk proposal last month, those opposed far outnumbered those who spoke in support. Several Hanover-based electricians conveyed the need for good-paying construction jobs and the revenue this project would bring in support of schools and other services.

Hanover resident Frank Wilson, who owns 200 acres adjacent to this parcel that’s slated for future suburban residential in the comprehensive plan spoke in support, with the caveat that future residents (buyers of his property when he sells it) need to be protected in addition to those who already reside nearby.

Only one non-resident, Greg Gilligan of RVA 757 Connects, spoke in favor stating that “the investment in digital infrastructure is a generational opportunity for this area….” More about RVA 757 Connects later.

Common themes emerged from the opponents:

Modern AI data centers don’t belong near residential or even in light industrial districts, nor do they fit the definition Hanover County created for an Employment Center. One resident read the definitions aloud to showcase how poorly an AI data center would fit in M-1 zoning.

Residents were concerned about lack of transparency, conflicting statements from elected officials, and conflicts of interest. One gentleman pointed out that at the Hickory Hill meeting, a Board of County Supervisor stated that they would “vote yes, but it will be the last one,” and that others have made similar statements since, but are now considering four more proposals.

Several speakers called to attention that Hanover officials had told residents and stated publicly that the data center developers had approached the county, when in fact the county had hired a consultant and commissioned a study to determine how to attract data centers between 2017 and 2019.

A resident shared that Amanda Peace, who is the Tract construction manager, formerly served as a member of the Hanover planning commission and currently serves on the board of RVA 757 Connects (the corporation that spoke in support) alongside the chairman of Dominion Energy. “You have to question a system that allows these conflicts of interest to perpetuate.” It’s worth noting that N4C’s research confirmed that at least two other data center companies hold seats on the board of RVA757Connects, a fact that certainly tarnishes their credibility in this situation.

Concerns about traffic were a big focus and one resident pointed out that the traffic study completed for this project was no longer valid because it was completed before construction started on the Ashland Road Amazon warehouse project in Goochland. She shared that many drivers have changed their daily travel to avoid that heavily congested area and now use Route 33 as their primary access to the highway.

Lack of progress on Tract’s approved Hickory Hill Project and resulting delay of revenue to the county was cited by several residents as an issue. During Q&A with the applicant, it was confirmed that the project is running behind and instead of delivering revenue in 2027, it will be at least 2029 before the county sees that return. This seemed to be new information for the planning commissioners.

Another gentleman compared data center property acquisition by Tract to Sherman’s march to the sea “destroying everything and then taking their money and leaving.” A South Anna resident wondered why the County was not waiting to see what the Hickory Hill project delivers before signing up for more.

Impact on health, the environment, local wildlife, and loss of the rural character that makes Hanover unique rounded out the long list of concerns.

Planning Commission Discussion

After public comment closed, most of the commissioners asked clarifying questions and made statements. My impression was that they really want to find a way to make this project work for both the county coffers and the residents, but see that there is a gigantic gap to close.

They covered how much future tax burden this could relieve, but acknowledged the traffic and 6-10 years of construction would create a significant hardship for nearby residents. They also expressed concerns about the latest proffers offered by the applicant.

Supervisor Leadbetter from South Anna district spoke about how the chicken processing plant came into Hanover and presented many challenges about the opportunity created to build something better when they closed up shop. He described the addition of significant infrastructure to the suburban service area including a water treatment plant costing $20-30 million which has stood unused for at least a decade. Context was shared about how much work has been put into making this area feel planned and not spot-built and that a lot of feedback was considered in the comprehensive plan and following small area plan for the site. He opined that putting data centers here would prevent them from targeting other areas of the county. “There is nowhere else to go with this kind of project without going to a more rural area.”

At the conclusion of their discussion, Commissioner Leadbetter made a motion to defer the proposal until the March 19 Planning Commission meeting, which included the directions given to the applicant covered above. The motion was passed unanimously.

The next steps: what can you do?

On March 19, the planning commission will have a very similar meeting where the applicant can re-present their updates to the plan, their proffers, and answer the questions posed by the commission and the community. Mark your calendar and attend – your presence sends a strong message of opposition.

If you have more questions or feedback for the planning commission, PLEASE email the department and commissioners before February 28 and ask that they be addressed by the applicant during the 3/19 meeting.

There will be another opportunity for public comment and the commission will very likely make their final vote and send their recommendation to approve or deny to the Board of Supervisors for their April meeting.

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