A family cemetery on a site in central Stafford has halted progress on a data center development. On July 7, 2026, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3 to defer rezoning and conditional use permit applications for the Potomac Creek Campus project pending an archaeological investigation and report.
The deferral includes a time extension to October 31. It followed public comments and board discussion on the need to address the cemetery before land disturbance.
During the Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 7, 2026, Supervisor Crystal Vanuch (Rock Hill District) expressed strong concerns about the potential reimplementation of a Business Professional and Occupational License (BPOL) tax, warning that it could harm local small businesses and urging residents to participate in an upcoming public hearing.
Vanuch, who reviewed discussions from a recent work session she could not attend, stated she was “appalled” that the tax appeared to be moving forward. She noted that Spotsylvania County is actively working to eliminate its similar BPOL tax. “The general consensus is that it’s gonna crush our business growth in Stafford County,” she said.
Stafford County residents, the heaviest users of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) system, will see reduced services after the Board of Supervisors approved a nearly $660,000 cut to library operating funds for FY27.
The reduction comes despite the board’s approval of a real estate tax rate increase of more than four cents per $100 of assessed value in the FY2027 budget. That hike, combined with rising property assessments, added hundreds to nearly $2,000 or more to many homeowners’ annual tax bills.
The sessions come as the county continues to review multiple data center applications, a hot-button issue for many residents concerned about infrastructure strain, noise, visual impacts, traffic on roads like U.S. 1 (Richmond Highway) and Kings Highway, and the county’s rural-suburban character.
Active or recently active proposals include the Eskimo Hill Technology Center (south of Eskimo Hill Road, east of Potomac Creek Drive in the Falmouth Election District), proposing roughly 680,000 square feet of data center space on about 142 acres.
Residents voiced concerns about air pollution and health risks from proposed large-scale data centers during public comment at the Stafford County Board of Supervisors meeting on June 2, 2026.
J.W. Swain, a Washington District resident, detailed a recent conversation with Rich Duchette of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding plans for approximately 11 million square feet of data centers along the Kings Highway assemblage.
