Stafford County to Discuss Major Data Center Development Proposal on Eskimo Hill Road

Tonight, August 20, 2024, at 5 p.m., the Stafford County Board of Supervisors will meet at the county government center, located at 1300 Courthouse Road in Stafford, to deliberate on a significant land use amendment. The proposal under review aims to rezone over 500 acres of land on Eskimo Hill Road, near the Rappahannock Regional Landfill, to facilitate the construction of a large data center complex.

If approved, the request would transition the zoning from A-1, Agricultural, to M-2, Heavy Industrial, allowing for the development of a data center campus envisioned to encompass approximately 5.8 million square feet across 23 buildings. The development also includes plans for public facilities and utilities.

The plans are outlined in items 33 and 34 on tonight’s agenda.

The proposal to incorporate this expansive tract into the county’s Urban Services Area (USA) is central to tonight’s agenda. This designation is crucial as it would qualify the land to be serviced by the county’s water and sewer infrastructure. However, concerns have been raised about the substantial water demands these facilities might impose, particularly with the cooling needs of data centers, which often rely on high volumes of water for evaporative cooling processes.

County officials have suggested using a gray pipe system that would utilize recycled water for cooling purposes, aiming to mitigate the potential strain on local water resources sourced from the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. Nonetheless, the efficiency of such systems in large-scale operations remains a topic of debate.

The General Development Plan (GDP) outlines a series of proffers concerning the site’s development, including the heights of buildings, which could reach up to 110 feet, surpassing the current maximum of 65 feet allowed in the M-2 zoning district without a conditional use permit. The proposed plan also highlights efforts to preserve the area’s ecological integrity by maintaining tree preservation zones and buffers near residential and natural areas.

Additional infrastructure developments proposed include up to six electric substations to support the site’s energy needs. These substations will connect to an existing high-voltage transmission line bisecting the property. Like other components of the project, these substations would typically require a conditional use permit, a requirement that the proffers seek to circumvent.

Tonight’s discussion will also cover potential impacts on local traffic. Plans to construct a new road extending from Richmond Highway to Eskimo Hill Road will improve access to the data center campus.

The decision on this transformative project is set for a vote by September 11, 2024. If approved as proposed, the data centers will not have to return to the Board of Supervisors for additional considerations, such as obtaining a Special Use Permit, similar to what fast food establishments must do when adding a drive-through lane at a restaurant.