AI Governance
Data Centers
Drones
Climate
Privacy
2026 Maine Senate
Bob Dylan
Cities Tighten Data Center Approvals
Coverage from City of Chesapeake, dnronline.com, and others
Cities and counties are tightening how data centers can be approved as existing zoning codes fail to address their power demand, water use, land impacts, noise, and other community effects.
Amherst County and Chesapeake are pursuing additional review, while Hampton and Southport are drafting policies before projects are formally submitted; other Virginia localities are adapting their rules within state-law limits. The shift gives residents and elected officials more opportunities to assess proposals, but it can also lengthen approval timelines and leave pending applications subject to legal constraints.
The story has sharpened from a general tightening of Virginia data-center siting rules into a more specific, multi-jurisdiction shift toward formal special-use, conditional-use, and policy review processes. It also adds a distinct new thread: Virginia’s legal limits on moratoriums and pending applications, alongside a separate Ohio variance request that is now framed as a comparable but different local dispute.
The story has broadened from a Virginia zoning-policy shift into a wider regulatory and legal fight that now explicitly includes Amherst, Ohio. It also adds a sharper legal constraint angle in Virginia, where state law appears to limit moratoria and restrict refusals of complete applications.
- Residents are challenging a proposed 45-megawatt facility in Amherst, Ohio.
- Virginia law limits local moratoria on data center projects.
- Some jurisdictions are acting before any project proposal is submitted.
- Review concerns now include grid capacity, light, and traffic impacts.
The update mainly sharpens the story from a general trend toward local review into a more explicit shift away from by-right data center zoning. It also adds Pittsfield Township and the regional infrastructure angle, reinforcing that communities are increasingly formalizing siting controls before projects arrive.
The story broadens materially from a Virginia-only zoning shift to a multi-state pattern, with Loudoun County now explicitly requiring board votes on all incoming data center applications and Hampton, Southport, and Pittsfield Township added as new jurisdictions shaping policy. The emphasis also moves from general public-review trends to concrete implementation steps like commissioning guidance, drafting conditional-use rules, and setting public hearings.
- Loudoun County now requires board votes on all incoming data center applications.
- Hampton hired Southeastern Institute of Research for zoning guidance.
- Southport would limit data centers to Highway Commercial property.
- Pittsfield Township planning is now part of the story.
- New focus includes jobs and tax revenue alongside impacts.
The story broadened from Amherst County’s pending zoning change into a wider regional push in Virginia, with Shenandoah County already adopting a new ordinance and Chesapeake actively drafting similar restrictions. That shifts the story from a single county proposal to a multi-locality regulatory movement toward tighter public review of data centers.
- Shenandoah County unanimously adopted a data center ordinance.
- Chesapeake is drafting zoning and comprehensive plan changes.
- Data centers are now being treated as conditional uses in some localities.
- Local leaders are citing water and electricity impacts more explicitly.
Amherst County is advancing an ordinance that would end by-right data center development and require developers to seek special use permits. The change follows resident objections to a possible project near Kings Road in Madison Heights and reflects a broader effort to add more review, site-plan detail, and public hearings before approval. The measure is still in the planning stage and must clear additional county steps before taking effect.