MONTGOMERY CO., Va. – Montgomery County officials are considering zoning changes that could pave the way for the region’s first hyperscale data center, following in the footsteps of Northern Virginia, which currently hosts the world’s largest concentration of such facilities.
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors is reviewing a resolution that would initiate the process of modifying current zoning laws, which do not permit data center facilities. If approved, the resolution would direct the Planning Commission to study and gather community input on potential changes to the county zoning ordinance.
While the Brush Mountain facility in Blacksburg technically operates as a data center, it functions on a much smaller scale than the massive hyperscale facilities common in Northern Virginia, where approximately 35% of known hyperscale data centers are located.
The potential expansion of data centers into Montgomery County has drawn mixed reactions from local residents. “I know there’s a bunch of Northern Virginia near my mom’s house. I know when I drive by them, I lose signal pretty much immediately. Calls drop out and everything like that,” said Blacksburg resident Aleks Halili.
Some residents express concerns about the impact on local development and community resources. “I think our property could be used better for other things for children, for the community to be able to use instead of being sucked up by the servers,” said Montgomery County resident Chelsey Carico.
Others worry about potential economic implications. “I think that’s opening Pandora’s Box,” said Montgomery County resident Donnie Howard, though he added, “I don’t want to scare off jobs from here. I don’t want to make taxes up here.”
The resolution, if approved, would specifically task the Planning Commission to “study, address and seek community comment and input on these particular land uses... and to recommend appropriate changes to the county zoning ordinance.”
Some community members are calling for more information before taking a stance. “I would want to know what the benefit would be to the community, and if it’s going to help, and how it also might negatively impact us,” Halili said.
Data centers have become increasingly prevalent across the country, characterized by large, non-descript buildings housing thousands of servers that power cloud computing and internet services.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the resolution during tonight’s meeting.