Decision Time: Data Centers in Albemarle
Albemarle County is considering allowing large data centers up to 500,000 square feet to be built by right, without case-by-case review, in certain locations within the County.
The Community Climate Collaborative (C3) strongly urges the County to retain the current special use permit requirement for these large, energy-intensive facilities above 40,000 feet.
First things first: what’s a data center?
As our friends at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) put it on their website, “Data centers are large buildings that house computing machines and their related hardware equipment that organizations use to store, process, and distribute the digital information that is behind an ever-increasing number of services we all use every day.”
Data centers have become an indispensable but largely hidden facet of modern life, powering everything we do online from streaming and social media to online banking and the cloud to training artificial intelligence systems.
Albemarle County is now preparing a zoning ordinance to regulate data center development in our community, and the local climate advocacy community needs to pay close attention.
KEY DATES
KEY DATES
Tuesday, September 16, 6-8pm
The Center
540 Belvedere Boulevard
Charlottesville VA
Data Center Community Meeting
Join our partners at the Piedmont Environmental Council for a community meeting Tuesday, Sept. 16 from 6-8 p.m. to hear from Julie Bolthouse, PEC’s Director of Land Use and one of the leaders of the Virginia Data Center Reform Coalition, about data centers’ environmental impacts and how advocating for regulations at the state and local level and transparency can achieve better outcomes for communities. PEC’s Albemarle County Senior Land Use Representative, Rob McGinnis will talk about Albemarle County specifically, the ongoing Data Center Ordinance update, and how you can get involved this fall.
Thursday, October 9, 6-8pm
Hybrid from Madison room at JMRL Central Library or via Zoom
Charlottesville VA
Albemarle’s Data Center Ordinance: Background, Basics, and Next Steps
This workshop will unpack the implications of data center growth in Albemarle, focusing on why strong public oversight is essential. We'll also explore how data centers intersect with the County’s climate goals and community values, and take time at the end to craft our public comments.
With the draft data center ordinance likely going before the Planning Commission on October 14 and likely voted on by the Board of Supervisors in November, this is your chance to get informed and engaged.
Wednesday, November 19, 6pm
Lane Auditorium, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Rd, on Zoom, or by phone
Charlottesville VA
Tentative Date: Hybrid Board of Supervisors Public Hearing
The Board of Supervisors will receive a presentation on the final version of the Data Center Ordinance, informed by community input and the Planning Commission. Some recommendations for changes may be made during the Hearing, but the Supervisors will vote whether to adopt the Data Center Zoning Ordinance. This is the last opportunity to voice your support or opposition to the draft Data Center Ordinance.
This is a tentative date - subscribe to C3’s Public Events Calendar to make sure any changes are automatically added to your calendar!
Tuesday, October 14, 6pm
Lane Auditorium, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Rd, on Zoom, or by phone
Charlottesville VA
Tentative Date: Hybrid Planning Commission Public Hearing
The Planning Commission will receive a presentation on the updated draft of the Data Center Ordinance from its authors and make recommendations for changes to staff. The Planning Commission does not vote on zoning ordinance amendments, but their opinions carry a lot of weight. This is an opportunity to voice your priorities in the public forum and to alert the Board of Supervisors to community concerns.
This is a tentative date - subscribe to C3’s Public Events Calendar to make sure any changes are automatically added to your calendar!
Data Center Impact - FAQs
Why are there so many data centers in Virginia?
Virginia hosts 13% of the world’s data centers due to favorable policies, infrastructure, and proximity to major internet hubs. Loudoun County alone has the highest concentration globally and has historically allowed data center development by-right, making it a hotspot for the industry.
What changed in Loudoun County’s approach to data centers?
After years of unrestricted growth, and with its annual budget having become inextricably reliant on the data center industry, Loudoun County adopted an ordinance in March 2025 to limit future data center development. This was achieved only as a result of increasing community pushback over environmental and quality-of-life concerns.
How are data centers impacting Virginia’s energy future?
The projected growing energy demand from data centers is being used to justify Dominion Energy’s plans to build 6 GW of new gas infrastructure by 2036. Even though this deeply conflicts with Virginia’s Clean Energy Act goal of 100% clean energy by 2045, the Virginia State Corporation Commission has declared the plan “legally sufficient” to proceed.
Are there cleaner alternatives to meet potential data center energy demand?
Yes! Our partners at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) conducted a study in collaboration with Appalachian Voices and Ideasmith that found the projected demand could be met through an aggressive buildout of renewable energy paired with battery storage—without new fossil fuel infrastructure.
What environmental impacts do data centers have on local communities?
Data centers are a heavy-impact land use, requiring constant electricity and water for cooling, which contribute to noise pollution and local water strain. Regardless of energy sources of the overall grid, fossil-fueled backup generators are often used during peak hours, increasing local air pollution around the data center.
Where are new fossil fuel plants being proposed to support data centers?
Two notable gas-burning plants have been proposed for Central Virginia: 1,540 MW (1.5 GW) in Fluvanna County and nearly 1 GW in Chesterfield County, south of Richmond, with both intended to support growing electricity needs largely driven by data center expansion.
Albemarle County has released an initial draft of a more comprehensive data center ordinance, which allows by-right development of data centers in tiered zones:
Tier 1: Data centers up to 125,000 sq ft by right; larger by special use permit.
Tier 2: Data centers up to 500,000 sq ft by right; larger by special use permit.
The presentation below lays out the contents of the draft ordinance, and was given by the County during a community meeting on June 30, 2025.
What does this all mean for Albemarle County?
While the Commonwealth’s data center development has been concentrated in Northern Virginia so far, large companies are looking for additional places to build. Albemarle County is working to get ahead of this by developing an ordinance to regulate data center development.
Currently in Albemarle, and thanks to a recent placeholder zoning text amendment after advocacy by the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Piedmont Environmental Council, data centers of over 40,000 square feet are required to obtain a Special Use Permit. This allows the Board of Supervisors to approve or deny larger projects on a case by case basis, and request things like additional environmental impact studies. It also provides opportunity for community input on large projects.
