Data centers are permitted as a use only in the M-1 Light Industrial, M-2 Heavy Industrial, and PD-IP Planned Development-Industrial Park districts.

A data center must comply with the Section 20-3 performance standards to proceed by right; the Board of Supervisors may modify those standards only through a Special Use Permit.

Data center buildings may not exceed 100 feet to the top of the roof, plus the height of screening parapets or devices for roof-mounted equipment.

Entrances from state roads must use a VDOT paved commercial entrance and apron, and internal roads must be constructed to be eligible for inclusion in the state secondary highway system.

If the state-road right-of-way is less than 50 feet, additional right-of-way must be dedicated through the site-plan process as requested by VDOT, with at least 25 feet from the roadway centerline dedicated and shown on the site plan.

A minimum 50-foot buffer yard is required where a data center adjoins property not zoned commercial or industrial.

Street-front fencing cannot be chain-link or barbed wire, and chain-link fencing for stormwater ponds is limited to four feet in height and must be screened with approved landscaping.

Data center projects must construct pedestrian or other non-motorized transportation facilities linking the project to adjoining properties and providing appropriate internal access.

Cross-access easements and coordinated shared entrances must be used when appropriate, and controlled access points must be provided to reduce unnecessary turning movements.

If VDOT requires traffic signals, the signals must use mast arms with streetlights, and the developer is solely responsible for the traffic-control costs.

Exterior lighting at property lines may not exceed one-half footcandle, including security lighting, as demonstrated by a photometric diagram submitted with the site plan.

Utility lines serving and internal to the project must be installed underground at the applicant's expense unless the electrical code requires aerial installation, subject to exceptions for certain distribution and transmission lines.

The owner or developer is responsible for extending water and sewer service to the project and within the project.

Parking must be provided at a rate of 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of enclosed building area used as office space.

Parking lots must be paved and include raised landscaped parking islands; parking-area light poles may not exceed 20 feet and must shield light toward the ground.

All other exterior lighting must be shielded and directed toward the ground, and the light source may not be visible from a public right-of-way.

Stormwater ponds, when required, must be designed as amenities and appear naturally occurring where site hydrology supports that design.

Dumpsters, electrical panels, exhaust fans, HVAC equipment, and other utilitarian features must be placed to the rear of buildings and incorporated into the building design; roof-mounted equipment must be screened from public view.

Electrical substations must be screened from adjacent roads and residentially or agriculturally zoned property with eight-foot opaque fencing and landscaping that fully screens the substation and associated equipment.

Impervious lot coverage for a data center may not exceed 75 percent.

Data center signs must be monument-style, building-mounted, or both; an individual sign may not exceed 50 square feet or 10 feet in height, must have a masonry base, and must be at least 10 feet from the public right-of-way unless VDOT specifies otherwise.

Projects exceeding 50,000 square feet of gross floor area under roof must provide and maintain at least 2,500 square feet of patio or similar employee or visitor space.

Nonresidential exterior walls must use specified materials, including brick, architectural block, precast concrete, approved siding, stucco, or Dryvit; corrugated metal is allowed only on side or rear walls of commercial or industrial buildings.

Principal facades within 400 feet of and facing adjacent public roads must use at least two design elements such as changes in height, step-backs, fenestration, material or color changes, texture, or accent materials.

Multiple principal facades must be consistent in design, materials, details, and treatment, and no principal exterior wall may use inferior architectural treatment or materials compared with another exterior surface of the same building.

Nonresidential buildings within 400 feet and visible from an adjacent public road must incorporate treatments reflecting the County's rural and agricultural character, such as gables, mansard or hip roofs, porches, parapet walls, faux dormers or windows, or verandas.

Before construction, excavation, or use, the project must obtain the zoning, building, site-plan, erosion-and-sediment-control, utility, and certificate-of-occupancy approvals required by the ordinance; the Zoning Administrator may not certify construction plans that do not conform to zoning requirements.

Data centers are expressly permitted uses in the Light Industrial (M-1), Heavy Industrial (M-2), and Planned Development-Industrial Park (PD-IP) districts, allowing them to be developed without a rezoning if all applicable requirements are met. Data Center listed as a permitted use

The Planning Commission minutes state that a data center is a by-right use when the applicant complies with the applicable performance standards; a special use permit is needed only to seek modifications to those standards. by right use if you comply with all 24 standards

The ordinance allows data centers to be multistory buildings up to 100 feet to the top of the roof, plus additional height for screening parapets or roof-mounted-equipment screening devices. maximum allowable height of 100 feet

A data-center special use permit may modify the data-center standards if the Board of Supervisors finds that the modifications meet the ordinance’s intent, providing flexibility for project-specific designs. may modify the standards and requirements

State-road entrances must use a VDOT paved commercial entrance and apron, and internal roads may be constructed to qualify for inclusion in the state secondary highway system, facilitating transportation access. standard Virginia Department of Transportation paved commercial entrance

If a state-road right-of-way is narrower than 50 feet, additional right-of-way may be dedicated through the site-plan process, with at least 25 feet from the road centerline shown on the site plan, providing a defined mechanism for addressing roadway-width requirements. additional ROW shall be dedicated via the site plan process

Cross-access easements, coordinated entrances, shared entrances, and controlled access points are required or encouraged when appropriate, supporting interconnected and safer site access. Cross-access easements shall be utilized when appropriate

The data-center standards assign responsibility for extending water and sewer utilities to the owner or developer, making the infrastructure-delivery obligation explicit for projects. extension of utilities (water/sewer) to a project

Parking for data centers is set at 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of enclosed building area used as office space, rather than being based on the facility’s entire building area. 2.5 spaces per 1,000 square feet

Impervious coverage for a data-center project may be as high as 75 percent of the lot, allowing substantial site coverage for buildings, access roads, parking, and supporting equipment. Maximum impervious lot coverage shall not exceed 75%

The ordinance allows underground utility lines serving and internal to the project at the applicant’s expense, while exempting certain distribution and high- or medium-voltage lines from the underground requirement, accommodating major electrical infrastructure. All utility lines serving the project

For PD-IP projects, the Zoning Administrator must act on a complete permit application within 20 days, with a possible additional 20-day extension after written notice; failure to act within the applicable period is deemed approval. act on any complete permit application reviewed within 20 days

If a data center later becomes nonconforming because of a zoning amendment, a legally established use may generally continue; changes in ownership or lease renewal do not terminate the continuation right, although abandonment for more than two years ends it. any legal use or activity ... may be continued