This week on Zoning In, we explore mounting community pushback against data center developments, from Virginia residents opposing power lines and zoning changes to Atlanta neighborhoods halting a West End proposal. We also dive into energy challenges, as utilities like Xcel Energy and Georgia Power address rising data center demands amid clean energy goals. These stories underscore the delicate balance between economic growth, sustainability, and community well-being.
Coming next week: Don’t miss our look ahead at the top community relations issues to watch for in 2025. You can find additional information on our approach to community relations by learning more about our Data Center Community Relations Practice.
Washington Post Looks at Community Push Back Against Data Center Developments
Data centers in suburban and urban areas conflict with local communities. As demand for cloud computing and AI grows, local governments compete to attract these tech giants, offering financial incentives like tax breaks. However, residents are concerned about the environmental and social impact of these large, energy-intensive facilities near homes, schools, and parks. In Northern Virginia, projects like Plaza 500 have sparked protests, with residents citing issues like power grid strain, water usage, and air pollution. Despite community opposition, some local leaders support these developments for their economic benefits, including job creation and increased tax revenue. The debate over the balance between growth and community well-being is intensifying as data centers proliferate across the U.S.
Read The Full Article at The Washington Post
Community Pushback Against Dominion Energy Power Lines for Data Center
Residents of Bren Mar Park in Virginia are rallying against Dominion Energy’s proposed transmission lines and substation, which aim to power Starwood Capital’s upcoming data center at Plaza 500. The project includes nine 125-foot-tall towers running close to homes, sparking concerns about visual impact, health risks, and property values.
Community Concerns:
- Proximity to Homes: Towers would obstruct views and alter the neighborhood’s landscape.
- Health Risks: Families worry about living near power lines.
- Developer Accountability: Starwood Capital declined to engage with residents during Fairfax County’s review of the data center plan.
Regulatory Action:
- The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) will hold a public hearing on December 5 at North Springfield Elementary School to gather community input. Additional hearings include a technical conference on December 16 and a session in Richmond on January 21.
- Residents have legal representation and plan to push for relocating the substation or reducing the data center’s size.
Broader Context:
- Fairfax County’s zoning ordinance revision in September allowed data centers to be built “by-right” in industrial zones, bypassing public hearings. This decision has limited local influence on developments like Plaza 500.
- Declining property values and rushed home sales may further impact affected neighborhoods.
Elsewhere, in Boardman, Oregon, Amazon Web Services has built multiple data centers, providing significant financial contributions to infrastructure and services while benefiting from large tax breaks. Despite these investments, residents and officials remain wary of the outsized influence tech companies wield in negotiations, questioning whether better deals could have been secured.
This ongoing push-pull underscores the need for equitable strategies that balance the economic gains of data centers with community concerns over sustainability and livability.
Read The Full Article at Annandale Today
Arkansas Leaders Push Back Against Crypto-Mining Facility Near Airforce Base
State and local officials in Cabot, Arkansas, have voiced strong opposition to a proposed crypto-mining facility by Interstate Holdings Blockchain near the Little Rock Airforce Base. Concerns center on the lack of economic benefits, environmental impacts like noise and pollution, and national security risks posed by its proximity to the base. Cabot Mayor Ken Kincade and State Senator Ricky Hill emphasized the potential threats to the community’s well-being and safety, while Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin issued a cease-and-desist order, citing noncompliance with necessary guidelines. Leaders have committed to exhausting all legal avenues to block the project, which is currently on hold pending further developments.
Read The Full Article at THV11
Atlanta Shelves Data Center Proposal in Historic West End Amid Community Pushback
A proposal to allow data center development in Atlanta’s Adair Park and Historic West End neighborhoods was dropped by the City Council on December 2 following significant community opposition and objections from Mayor Andre Dickens. The ordinance, introduced by Councilmember Antonio Lewis, aimed to ease restrictions on data center construction near the West End MARTA station, amending a previous ban on such developments within a half-mile of the Atlanta Beltline and MARTA stations.
Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) V and T, residents, and city planning bodies opposed the measure, citing concerns over limited job creation, strain on water and power infrastructure, and potential hindrance to urban core projects like affordable housing and green spaces.
Read The Full Article at RoughDraftAtlanta
Douglas County Commissioners Delay Rezoning Decision For Data Center
Douglas County Commissioners tabled a vote on rezoning an area near the small community of Winston for a new data center.
Commissioner Whitney Kenner Jones said she knows this is a difficult decision. Commissioners postponed voting on the issue until early January after several residents complain about the potential noise and traffic. Supporters say the data center would generate new tax revenue for the county.
Xcel Energy Assures Data Center Growth Won’t Hinder Minnesota’s 2040 Clean Energy Target
At a recent regulatory workshop, Xcel Energy’s president for Minnesota and the Dakotas, Ryan Long, assured that the state’s 100% clean energy goal for 2040 would remain on track despite the rise in energy demand from growing data centers. Long acknowledged that while the expansion of data centers, mainly driven by AI, could extend the life of natural gas plants into the 2030s, the company believes it can absorb the demand without disrupting its clean energy mandate. Experts highlighted that data centers could even become grid assets, supporting clean energy development. However, concerns were raised about whether utilities could meet the rapid growth of data centers with clean power, especially given supply chain delays in renewable technologies and the need for grid enhancements.
Read The Full Article at Power Grid
Virginia Sierra Club Member Criticizes Data Approvals and Resistance to Solar Farms
Ivy Main’s opinion piece critiques the approval of data centers in rural Virginia while local resistance to solar farms persists. Main highlights the tension between Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s support for a broad energy mix, including fossil fuels and renewables, and Democratic lawmakers’ commitment to zero-carbon energy, particularly solar.
The piece details the approval of a large data center complex in Hanover County despite public opposition and concerns about its environmental impact, including water use and increased traffic. In contrast, a solar farm proposal on a nearby 100-acre site was denied, despite meeting all local ordinances and receiving public support.
Main also discusses what she sees as inconsistency in local decision-making. Supervisors approve data center projects for economic benefit but deny solar projects, citing vague concerns about aesthetics and land preservation.
Read The Full Opinion Piece at Virginia Mercury
Georgia Power’s Energy Demand Projections and Clean Energy Concerns
Georgia Power forecasts a significant surge in electricity demand due to the growth of data centers, driven largely by artificial intelligence (AI). Over the next decade, the state’s energy consumption could triple, with Georgia Power projecting a 12,000 megawatt increase by the mid-2030s. This growth is expected to come from over 90 large industrial projects, including approximately 70 data center facilities.
However, critics, particularly clean energy advocates, are skeptical about the accuracy of these projections, questioning the long-term viability and actual energy usage of data centers. There are concerns about Georgia Power’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels to meet this demand, especially since the state recently approved plans to expand fossil fuel-based power generation and delay the retirement of coal plants.
Read The Full Piece at Georgia Recorder
Amid the A.I. Boom, These States Have Become Data Center Hubs
The article highlights the rapid growth of data centers driven by the boom in artificial intelligence and its impact on energy consumption. Virginia, home to “Data Center Alley” in Loudoun County, is the top data center hub, accounting for a significant portion of the U.S. energy usage. Data centers currently use 4% of total U.S. electricity, a number expected to rise to 9.1% by the decade’s end due to AI’s increasing energy demands. AI applications, including tools like ChatGPT, are especially power-hungry, driving up electricity consumption. Other states, like Texas and California, also see significant energy use, and by 2030, Virginia’s data center energy consumption could surge to 46% of the state’s total.
Challenges from rapid growth include pressure on the power grid, rising land prices, and noise issues from the facilities. In response, tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are exploring clean energy options, including nuclear and on-site generation, to mitigate the environmental impact of their operations.
Read The Full Article at The Observer
Virginia Lawmakers Consider Ways to Overcome Local Solar Resistance
Virginia legislators are exploring the creation of a state board to guide local governments in approving large-scale solar projects, amid debates about whether the state should assume full control of the approval process. This initiative reflects growing tensions between clean energy ambitions and local resistance.
Additional developments in Virginia’s energy landscape include directives for utilities to streamline shared solar grid connections and reduce customer costs, alongside advocacy efforts to expand solar co-ops in urban areas.
The upcoming 2025 legislative session will also address broader issues such as data center growth, climate goals, and local regulations surrounding renewable energy projects. These discussions highlight the complex interplay of infrastructure demands, sustainability initiatives, and community concerns.
