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Hanover approves zoning request for 1,200-acre data center project
April 4, 2024
The Hanover Board of Supervisors has given the nod to a massive planned industrial project outside Ashland.
Development company Tract on Wednesday secured the zoning approval needed to create a 1,200-acre data center park along Hickory Hill Road east of Interstate 95 in Hanover County.
Tract Chief Investment Officer Graham Williams previously told BizSense that the company anticipated the project area would be able to support up to 9 million square feet of data center space spread across 30 buildings on multiple campuses.
While the zoning application’s conceptual plan doesn’t outline a specific vision for the overall project, Tract representatives have said they expect that 10 percent to 12 percent of the project area’s acreage would be occupied by the actual data center buildings and associated facilities.
The assemblage is divided into eight so-called building areas where data center facilities, accessory solar facilities, parking and other features would be situated. Building setbacks for the property would range from 150 feet to 250 feet, according to a staff report. The overall project would have about 450 acres, or 37 percent of the site, used as buffer and open space.
A publicly maintained internal road loop would provide access to the campuses throughout the property. The road would have two entrances on Hickory Hill Road, according to the conceptual plan. Up to two of the future campuses would be able to have direct vehicular access on Hickory Hill Road. There potentially could be a dedicated entrance to an African American cemetery on the property.
The project site is undeveloped, with wooded areas, fields, wetlands, ponds and streams, a staff report states.
Proffered transportation improvements from the developer include $3.5 million in cash to the county to finance road projects on Hickory Hill Road between I-95 and Old Ridge Road and right-turn lanes for each entrance to the development, among other improvements.
