Virginia is for lovers—data center lovers. Nearly half of the nation’s facilities are in the Commonwealth, mostly concentrated in Northern Virginia where there are more data centers than anywhere else in the world. These facilities, which can range from the size of a grocery store to an entire shopping district or larger, use massive amounts of energy, require water to cool off, and often strip communities of their rural character.
Now, Albemarle County officials are deciding how to regulate data center development in our area.
In April 2025, the county settled on an interim zoning ordinance that limits data center development to parts of the county already selected for growth, and established performance standards related to noise, water use, design, and more. According to the ordinance, anything over 40,000 square feet (about the size of the Harris Teeter in Crozet) would require developers to obtain a special use permit—a process that allows community members to weigh in and elected officials to vote on the proposed development…