Spotsylvania votes tonight on plan capping data center land at 45%
Spotsylvania supervisors are scheduled to vote Oct. 27 on an updated Comprehensive Plan that recommends data centers take up no more than 45% of the county's industrial-zoned land.
Spotsylvania County supervisors are scheduled to vote Tuesday, Oct. 27, on an updated Comprehensive Plan that carries the county's new limit on data center land. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the Holbert Building, 9104 Courthouse Road, according to FXBG Advance.
The plan includes a policy the Board of Supervisors adopted 3-2 in August: data centers should take up no more than 45% of the county's land zoned industrial. The Fredericksburg Free Press reported that the county has 6,106 industrial-zoned acres and that approved data centers already cover 1,756 acres. County staff had recommended a 55% cap, and Supervisor Chris Yakabouski had proposed 40%.
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 in early October to send the updated plan to the board. Safeguard Spotsy, a resident group, is asking supervisors to remove data centers from the plan's list of targeted industries.
The vote is the latest step in a year of tighter data center rules in Spotsylvania. Since February 2026, every new data center has needed a special use permit, ending by-right sites. In August, the board voted 4-2 for a resolution asking Gov. Abigail Spanberger for a statewide moratorium on new data centers; she said Aug. 13 she would not impose one. As of August, the county had eight approved data centers and 11 pending applications, according to The Spotsylvania Gazette.
The largest pending proposal is the Crossroads Technology Campus data center, a 555-acre campus in the Lee Hill District that the Planning Commission recommended for approval 4-2. FXBG Advance reports the board's public hearing on that special use permit is expected in November or December; no date has been set.
The Comprehensive Plan guides every rezoning and permit decision, so the 45% cap will shape how much more of Spotsylvania's industrial land can go to data centers as the county weighs its pending applications, including the 555-acre Crossroads campus.
What's next
- Oct. 27 Board of Supervisors vote on the Comprehensive Plan update, 5 p.m., Holbert Building
- Nov. or Dec. Board public hearing on the 555-acre Crossroads Technology Campus data center (date not set)
Sources
- FXBG Advance: This week's data center developments (Oct. 26)
- Fredericksburg Free Press: Spotsylvania supervisors vote on limit to industrial land dedicated to data centers (Aug. 26)
- Fredericksburg Free Press: Spotsylvania planning commissioner backs data center watchdog group (Oct. 8)
- The Spotsylvania Gazette: Board voted 4-2 to support statewide data center moratorium (Aug. 17)