Pittsylvania County residents voice concerns over proposed data center.
A new data center proposed for Pittsylvania County by Herndon-based developer Balico has raised a number of community concerns. That’s why the company is hosting two outreach meetings, with the first held Monday night in Chatham.
Pittsylvania County residents voiced strong opposition to the project at the input meeting. The project aims to develop 2,200 acres into a site featuring 84 data center buildings and six to eight power plant towers.
This proposal involved rezoning the area around Mountain Valley Pipeline infrastructure and marked the second data center proposal in the county this year, following a previously approved project in Ringgold.
During the meeting, attendees raised concerns regarding pollution, water usage, construction impacts and traffic. Despite these worries, both the developer and county leaders reassured residents that there was nothing to fear from the project.
Anne Hunt, a local resident living within a mile of the proposed site, expressed her concern, stating that the project would be “devastating” to the community.
Anne Hunt, said:
Many people, many neighbors have relocated from cities such as Fairfax, Raleigh, Carey, North Carolina to have the peace and the quiet that the countryside offers.
Balico CEO Afran Ali highlighted the potential benefits of the data center, including the creation of 700 jobs and an estimated $120 million in tax revenue for the county. He also noted that the center would provide reliable connectivity for large-scale companies, utilizing natural energy sources.
When questioned whether the overwhelming community opposition changes anything regarding the project,
Robert Tucker, Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Vice Chair, said:
That he respects the passion of residents but, at this juncture I am not going to push my hand one way or the other.
Ali maintained that their plans would remain unchanged.
Afran Ali, Balico CEO, said:
It hasn’t changed any of my thinking about this data center park here.
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Pittsylvania County residents voice concerns over proposed data center. source