CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Chesapeake city councilmembers voted against a proposed data center in the Great Bridge area at their meeting Tuesday night.
Dozens of speakers attended the meeting to oppose the center, voicing concerns over the potential noise, impact on wildlife and lower property values.
Developer Doug Fuller, who was behind the proposed project, says he reached out to communities in Ashburn to understand the living conditions near data centers. He reported that residents there have not experienced significant noise disturbances and have maintained their property values. However, his reassurances did not ease the minds of many Chesapeake residents.
City council voted 7-0 against the data center, with Councilmember Daniel Whitaker abstaining from the vote since he provided professional services to the applicant. Mayor Rick West was not in attendance.
The developers did ask for the vote on the 350,000 square foot project to be pushed back to August to give them more time to address concerns, but city council rejected that request.
