The Chesapeake city council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve a proposed data center zoning ordinance, a topic that has been under discussion in Chesapeake for months.
The proposed ordinance centered a conditional use in industrial areas only, including the Fentress Overlay district, meaning developers would need special approval before building.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Amanda Newins proposed an additional amendment to the ordinance to remove an exception allowing data centers in the Fentress Overlay district, close the by-right loopholes to allow data centers, prevent them from using groundwater and allow further discussion throughout the 8-month pause on data center applications…