Pittsylvania County approves its first data center project

The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to allow a data center development that could bring in billions of dollars in investment, millions in tax revenues and hundreds of jobs, despite resident opposition to the project at its Tuesday night meeting.

None of these numbers are officially confirmed, Matt Rowe, economic development director for the county, said after last month’s planning commission meeting, where the project was unanimously recommended for approval .

But they are all attainable, Thomas Gallagher, who gave a presentation to the board Tuesday night on behalf of the development group, Anchorstone Advisors LLC, said in an interview last month.

Board members said they supported the project because of the revenue it could bring into the county. Supervisor Eddie Hite said that he’s heard resident concerns, but he believes this project is what’s best for the county.

“With the proffers that have been offered by these investors, I’m confident that you will see minimal impacts to the area, I really am,” Hite said. “I would be surprised if you see any negative impacts.”

The proffers, promises from the developers, say that the land cannot be used for a raceway, junkyard, landfill or residential dwellings. They also promise that the development will adhere to light and noise pollution guidelines, and that there will be training and orientation for first responders to meet requirements for safety at the development.

The project could represent up to $5 billion in investment, according to the Pittsylvania County Industrial Development Authority. It could also contribute up to $120 million in tax revenue over a 10- to 15-year period, though it’s too early to say for sure, Rowe said.

The data center, which would be the first of its kind in Pittsylvania County, could also create up to 500 jobs.

Rowe said that none of these figures have been finalized or publicized by county staff, even though Joey Faucette, chairman of the IDA, cited the numbers during the June planning commission meeting.

“This is very, very much the early stage of a very long-term, very large project,” Rowe said. “We have not finalized any of that with the client.”

John Daniel, the vice chair of the IDA, read a statement from the group in support of the project at the board meeting.

The board’s approval will allow for the rezoning of 946 acres off U.S. 58 in Ringgold, in the southeastern part of the county just a few miles from Danville. The developers are under contract to purchase the property.

The project will be built out over a period of about 10 years, according to the developers. If all goes well with permitting, construction could start in 12 to 18 months, Gallagher said.

In the same vote, the board also approved an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan, which had designated the site for medium- and high-density residential and commercial development. Now it will be designated for industrial use.

Data centers are large, warehouse-like buildings that house computers and networking equipment used to store and send data. It’s usually on a large scale for business, military and governments, but data centers also allow for fast and reliable connectivity for everyday users who are texting, sending emails and using social media, Gallagher said.

Virginia is home to 150 data centers — or about 35% of all known hyperscale data centers worldwide — making it the largest data center market in the world.

But most of those are in Northern Virginia, with data centers in Mecklenburg County and Lynchburg being the closest such developments to Pittsylvania County.

In recent months, Southwest Virginia economic development officials also have repeatedly said that they want to attract data centers to their region.

But residents who live near the Ringgold parcel have opposed the development. They already have a landfill in their neighborhood, they said, and they don’t want to deal with the light, noise and traffic that they say would be created by a data center.

Gallagher said that the data center would comply with the county’s noise ordinance, which would limit noise to 65 decibels, or around the volume of a normal conversation, at the property borders.

The project would also comply with “Dark Sky” principles, which are designed to mitigate light pollution, Gallagher said, adding that most of the project vehicle traffic would come during the construction phase. After that, there won’t be much traffic in and out, he said.

The main entrance to the development, both for construction and regular operations, would be off of 58, Gallagher said, which would ensure that nearby residents see even fewer traffic impacts. There would likely be a second entrance for safety purposes, he added.

Anchorstone Advisors has hosted community meetings with residents to answer questions about the project. Two of the developers, Gallagher and Tony Salah, are also involved with Southside Investing LLC, which is behind a large mixed-use project in Axton that was approved by the county last year. They held community meetings for that project as well.

Still, residents spoke against the data center project during both the board meeting and the planning commission meeting.

Ann Smith, a resident of the county, said she visited the Microsoft data center in Mecklenburg County to get an idea of what such facilities are like.

“It is huge,” Smith said to the board. “At night, the lights light up the sky like Las Vegas or New York City. There was also a buzzing sound that came from that building. … It’s unbelievable.”

Another site, one that is farther away from residents, would be better suited for the project, she said.

“Please think about how you would feel seeing these bright lights at night, and hearing this noise and seeing the increased traffic that it will produce,” Smith said. “Other businesses will come to this county to bring in taxes.”

County resident Linda Gauldin, who also spoke, said in an interview after the vote that she was not surprised by the board’s decision. She knew it was a done deal before the meeting, she said.

Board member Vic Ingram acknowledged the opposition from residents.

“Those who live closest to it are not going to like it,” he said. “And it’s not that we don’t care, but you have to do what’s best for the entire county.”

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