BOTETOURT CO., Va. – Residents voiced strong opposition to Google’s proposed data center during a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, with concerns ranging from water consumption and power usage to questions about the transparency of the entire process at the 300-acre development planned for the Botetourt Center at Greenfield.
“The deal to bring Google to Botetourt County illustrates everything that’s wrong with the county,” said Charles Rule, a Botetourt resident during the meeting. “The deal was done in secret with no regard for what the people of Botetourt County thought... when their citizens said they did not want it.”
“At the very least county leadership should be providing greater transparency given unprecedented impact this project is going to have on county residents,” added Bill Van Velzer, another concerned resident.
Rule also criticized Google’s corporate practices, noting the company’s “history of buying out or destroying competitors” and concerns about personal data privacy.
Transparency and Governance Issues
“Google does not believe that the people of Botetourt County have a right to know the impact of their data center endeavor, but the court has ruled otherwise,” said Danny Goad, another Botetourt resident. “The people have a right to know how much water will be consumed. Farmers have a right to know how much water will be consumed and the risk that they face with an explosive increase in the amount of water consumed in the county.”
Rule emphasized that the project prioritized financial gains over community wishes: “The deal was all about money and potential tax revenue with no consideration of who the administration and the supervisors were.”
Growing Community Opposition
Van Velzer expressed additional serious reservations about the development’s location and potential impacts.
“I have serious concerns about the wisdom of buildings placed in the northern end of the state,” Van Velzer stated at the meeting. He cited “horror stories of overbuilding, populated water usage, uneven sleep patterns, and cooling systems” as major concerns, while also questioning local leadership’s handling of the project.
Emergency Services Benefits
County officials defended the project, pointing to immediate financial benefits already realized from Google’s land purchase. The county recently acquired three new ambulances, valued at approximately $1.1 million, funded entirely through proceeds from the Google property transaction.
Jason Ferguson, Chief of Botetourt Fire and EMS, emphasized the critical need for the new vehicles. “We’re trying to cover over 540 square miles. We put a lot of miles on our ambulances, so we’ve got to make sure that our fleet is reliable to provide the service throughout all parts of Botetourt County,” Ferguson said.
Environmental and Infrastructure Concerns
Goad emphasized the Board of Supervisors’ responsibility to the community.
“The representative of Botetourt County, the Board of Supervisors, has a duty to protect the people of Botetourt County,” he stated. He also expressed broader concerns about energy infrastructure, adding, “The notion that we have a shortage of power in today’s world is scary.”
The proposed facility would occupy 300 acres within the Botetourt Center at Greenfield, marking a significant development for the rural Virginia county. The project has faced increased scrutiny over its potential environmental impact, particularly regarding water consumption and power usage.
Community Response
Local citizens have become increasingly vocal about their opposition to the project. Their concerns span environmental, infrastructure, and quality-of-life issues, with a particular focus on the lack of public input in the decision-making process. A recent court ruling has supported residents’ right to information about the project’s environmental impact.
While the county’s recent ambulance purchase, funded through the Google land deal, represents one of the first concrete benefits from the tech giant’s investment in the region, many local residents argue that the secretive nature of the deal and potential long-term environmental impacts outweigh any economic advantages.
Leadership Questions
The handling of the Google data center project has sparked intense debate about local governance and transparency. Residents’ testimonies suggest a growing disconnect between county leadership decisions and community wishes, with multiple speakers criticizing the decision-making process and lack of public involvement.