Wythe County's Gigawatt Data Future

Wythe County is about to see a huge economic and technological shift with the planned development of a gigawatt data center complex in its eastern region, near Interstate 81 and the Pulaski County line. Charlotte-based TAC Data Centers is behind this ambitious project, which will span approximately 1,000 acres and include nine to eleven buildings, totaling between 3.5 and 4 million square feet. This facility will require an impressive 1,000 megawatts of power capacity, enough to supply roughly 730,000 average homes.

The chosen location, currently owned by the Rogg Partnership, was strategically selected for its direct access to I-81 and its proximity to critical 765-kilovolt electric transmission lines. TAC Data Centers emphasized their commitment to being a responsible neighbor, designing the campus to minimize traffic on local roads, reduce visual impact, limit noise, and conserve water. This approach is particularly important given that Virginia is the world's largest data center market, and while much development has historically been in Northern Virginia, Southwest and Southside regions are increasingly attractive due to factors like lower land costs and taxes. This will be Wythe County's second data center project, following Solis Arx's plans for a 99 acre lot in Progress Park.

Data center projects often face community concerns regarding electricity and water usage, potential air pollution, noise levels, and visual aesthetics. TAC Data Centers has proactively addressed these by designing their facilities to use a fraction of the water compared to older centers and engineering their cooling systems to limit demand on local resources. They also plan for modern, low emission diesel powered backup generators, which will operate only during emergencies and routine testing, requiring state air permits. The buildings themselves will be single story, set back from property lines and screened with vegetation and landscaping. Exterior lighting will be full cut off, downward directed and motion activated to minimize light pollution, and noise levels will be designed to remain within typical commercial and industrial standards.

Interestingly, Wythe County is one of the few localities in Virginia without zoning, meaning this project won't require rezoning approval from the Board of Supervisors, though local building and state environmental permits are still necessary. The county has, however, been drafting a zoning ordinance due to increasing growth pressures from large scale projects like data centers and solar farms. County Administrator Stephen Bear expressed enthusiasm for the project, highlighting its potential to create full-time jobs and generate substantial tax revenue, potentially tens of millions of dollars annually, several times the county's current property tax income. This revenue is earmarked for significant investments in areas like school construction, law enforcement, emergency services and infrastructure development. TAC Data Centers, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based The Ardent Companies, aims to be a long-term community partner, expecting to create several thousand construction jobs and 150 to 200 operational positions.

I think what stands out here is the careful balance between economic opportunity and community integration. It's clear that while the scale of this project is immense, the developer is making a concerted effort to mitigate common concerns and the county sees a significant benefit for its future. This kind of development could really reshape the local economy for generations. Times, they are a changing!