VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach could join other Hampton Roads cities in pausing approvals for new data centers for at least the next year.
City Council is expected to take action Tuesday on a resolution that would establish a 12-month pause on permitting new data centers. The pause would give city leaders time to develop regulations for the industry.
Data centers have been a hot topic in Virginia Beach throughout the summer, with city leaders considering potential regulations related to their development.
Mayor Bobby Dyer said the city is taking a strong stance on the issue.
"We're not only saying no to data centers, we're saying hell no to data centers," Dyer said back on June 2.
City council expressed their desire to ban large-scale data centers, without industry standards, finding the correct threshold of what would be permitted vs. banned is a challenge.
City staff told the Planning Commission on Wednesday that there are not yet established best practices for data centers, including definitions, setbacks or noise thresholds. Staff said the city can look to other localities with data centers as it develops its own regulations.
Potential regulations could address energy use, noise, land use, and water usage.
Because developing those regulations will take time, some Planning Commission members said they support a temporary pause on new data center development.
"I would certainly support recommending to council a moratorium on the current loophole that allows by-right development of these facilities on industrial parcels until such time as we are able to put in a new regulatory scheme," Planning Commission member Walter Camp said.
Last month, Chesapeake city leaders approved an eight-month pause on new data center land-use applications while the city works on its own regulations.
In a statement to News 3, District 9 Councilman Joash Schulman said he supports the pause.
“I’m glad we are taking a pause to consider this topic in a thoughtful way and craft policies to avoid undesirable by-right outcomes that do not align with our residents’ priorities, while also leaving room to grow our economy responsibly and welcome new economic investment,” Schulman said.
The Virginia Beach City Council is expected to consider the proposed 12-month pause on Tuesday.
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