Fredericksburg City Council

The Fredericksburg City Council has announced a series of public meetings and work sessions as it considers approving the city’s first data centers within a newly proposed Technology Overlay Zoning District (TOD). The meetings aim to gather public input and provide transparency as the city plans to encourage high-technology industrial development in Celebrate Virginia South, next to the Fredericksburg Nationals baseball stadium.

While the council is promoting data centers as an opportunity for economic growth, concerns from local activists and experts highlight potential challenges, including environmental and community impacts.

A recent report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) warns that if data center development in Virginia continues without constraints, the state’s energy demands could triple. The report emphasizes that meeting these increased demands would necessitate the construction of additional energy facilities, including renewable sources like solar and offshore wind, as well as natural gas plants. Specifically, JLARC estimates that a new natural gas plant would need to be built approximately every one and a half years to keep pace with the energy consumption of unconstrained data center growth.

The Fredericksburg City Council held a work session on December 10 to discuss a proposed ordinance allowing the city to develop data centers.

Fredericksburg City staff this week presented an overview of a draft zoning ordinance that would provide for by right data center development.