Staunton leaders seemed last month to be trying to signal that they have no interest in considering potential data center development at Staunton Crossing.
Which leads us to this question: why was there a presentation the Staunton Economic Development Authority last week that included a discussion of scenarios evaluating the fiscal impact of data centers at the location?
The EDA received an update at its Oct. 8 meeting from Tim Davey of the Timmons Group consulting on the long-term marketing strategy and site readiness at Staunton Crossing, a 300-acre parcel at the nexus of Interstate 81 and Interstate 64 with 150 developable acres, and a mile of frontage on I-81.
The city purchased the property, the site of the former Western State Hospital, way back in 2009.
Twenty-five acres fronting Richmond Road were sold to a private developer in 2016, and have since been developed to house two hotels, a gas station and restaurants.
The EDA, with the help of Timmons Group, developed a master plan for the remaining acreage in 2019.
In recent months, rumors have circulated about the possibility of a data center coming to the location, which city leaders have been working to debunk.
The topic came up again at the EDA meeting last week, with Jeff Overholtzer, a City Council member who serves as that body’s liaison to the EDA, asking Davey for specifics on what terms the city could enforce if a data center was ever considered.
Davey, per a release from the city, said the city first needs to decide if it wants data centers at all.
If the city would like to explore data centers, Davey told the EDA, it has the authority to set conditions, including:
- Choosing to work only with direct end-users rather than speculative developers.
- Mandating specific community benefit agreements.
- Limiting water consumption through infrastructure controls and regulating generator-driven noise and air quality.
If the city chooses to gauge the interest of data center developers, per Davey, the approach would be simple: present the strict terms, and if a prospect is unwilling to comply, the city will “move on.”
At the moment, the city’s zoning code does not allow for data centers, a point that the release from the city stressed.
“If a proposed industry is not a permitted use, and a data center isn’t, it cannot simply bypass our zoning ordinance,” Mayor Michele Edwards said. “The necessary changes to our zoning ordinance would have to go through the appropriate review process, including Planning Commission consideration and public hearings before ultimately coming before City Council for a public hearing and a vote.”
Even so, based on the discussion at the EDA meeting, it would seem that the topic is still somewhat on the table.
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Chris Graham
