Nearly 700-acre data center campus coming to Louisa
VENN
LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Plans for a large data center campus in Louisa County are officially in motion after local leaders sold nearly 700 acres to a developer.
On Tuesday, June 24, county officials announced that it has sold Shannon Hill Regional Business Park to data center developer EdgeCore for $42 million.
The county initially purchased the 697-acre plot of land off Interstate 64, according to a press release. Then, in 2019, it was zoned for "several technology-based uses, including data center development."
"As EdgeCore has done with its data center campuses in other markets, the company will employ its community-first approach in Louisa County," officials said in the release. "Residents can expect EdgeCore’s development to generate economic growth and jobs, as well as to have minimal impact on local water supplies and the surrounding landscape."
To that effect, the county emphasized that this future data center will be equipped with a cooling system that uses "very little water." Specifically, the system will have a water usage effectiveness rating "far lower than the industry average," according to the county.
Additionally, the park's size will allow for "significant buffers" around the future data center's campus.
Officials said the surplus funds from the park's sale will be put towards county debt, as "minimizing debt" is part of the county's Board of Supervisors' "capable fiscal oversight," per the release.
"The use of future annual revenues from the development itself will be significant and is under consideration by the Board of Supervisors," officials said.
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The county added that data centers "represent tax revenue powerhouses" and that said tax revenues are "anticipated to be available within the next few years."
"Through its Revenue Committee, the Board of Supervisors is actively planning best uses for these funds to directly benefit residents, and the public is invited to provide input by contacting their District Representative on the Board," officials said.
Virginia has the largest concentration of data centers in the world and is often called its "data center capital."
