‘We don’t know what the end game is’: Hanover neighbors brace for data center vote

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Neighbors in Hanover County are raising concerns about a proposed data center in Ashland, as the planning commission prepares to vote on the project at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Hanover County Administration Building.

The proposed Mountain Road Technology Park would span more than 400 acres off Route 33 in Ashland. The proposal comes just weeks after another data center plan was denied.

For decades, Chris Perdue and his family have owned property off Greenwood Road in Hanover County. Now, a large-scale data center is proposed nearby.

"This area here is family land," Perdue said.

He lives about half a mile from the proposed site, which stretches along Mountain Road and Route 33. Perdue said he is concerned about how the project could affect the area.

"From the noise traffic you can hear from Mountain Road, from here, we're definitely going to hear the data center when they fire up the generators," he said.

Developers with Tract said nearly 41% of the property would remain natural space, including trails and buffers. Still, some neighbors say they have unanswered questions.

"When they start building and they start de watering the area to put in there, what's going to happen to my well?" Perdue said.

According to Tract, the project would connect to existing county water and wastewater lines instead of relying on wells. Still, Perdue said he remains uncertain about the long-term impact.

Brandy Banton, an organizer with Friends of Hanover, echoed Perdue's concerns. She also raised issues with energy demand, infrastructure, traffic and more.

“We don't really know what the end game is, you know, AI and big tech and data, they're all evolving so quickly,” she said. "Even if it's not happening right next door to you, you're still going to be impacted by it. I'd like to see our county stand up to what's going on."

Developers said the site is designated as an employment center in the county’s comprehensive plan, adding that the project would bring job growth during its 10-year construction period and beyond.

“If the process is going to sideline residents and it's going to reshape our infrastructure, the question is really becoming whether the ends justify the means. And that's really what we're facing here in Hanover,” Banton said.

The planning commission will review the proposal at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19.