Historic Preservation
Local Interventions
Pass Zoning Ordinances and Municipal Code Amendments
A key vehicle to limit or restrict data center development is to update the municipal code, often including zoning requirements, usage requirements, and other siting decisions. Through these mechanisms, local governments can dictate where and how data centers can be constructed. Local governments can take one or multiple approaches, including the following:
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A key vehicle to limit or restrict data center development is to update the municipal code, often including zoning requirements, usage requirements, and other siting decisions. Through these mechanisms, local governments can dictate where and how data centers can be constructed. Local governments can take one or multiple approaches, including the following:
Prohibit Rezoning Processes That Threaten Historic Sites Parent = pass-zoning-ordinances-and-municipal-code-amendments
Localities eager to bring economic development to their communities, including data centers, often have endangered historic sites. Localities must prohibit the rezoning of land near historically significant sites for the purposes of building data centers. Strong example Thirty-seven data centers have been proposed near Manassas National Battlefield Park in Prince William County, Virginia, which involves […]
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Localities eager to bring economic development to their communities, including data centers, often have endangered historic sites. Localities must prohibit the rezoning of land near historically significant sites for the purposes of building data centers.
Strong example
Thirty-seven data centers have been proposed near Manassas National Battlefield Park in Prince William County, Virginia, which involves rezoning 1,700 acres of homes and farms. Local communities sued the county for providing limited required information about the development, inadequate public notice and hearings, and failure to consider key environmental and historical facts. The judge overturned the rezoning decision because the county failed to make the development plans, ordinances, or amendments referenced in the public notices available to the public.
Example
In the spring of 2023, Orange County, Virginia, approved the rezoning of Wilderness Battlefield into industrial districts. The Wilderness Battlefield is a top endangered historic site that contains significant Civil War battlefield sites. Local communities and civil societies sued the county, arguing that the decision violated Virginia law governing rezoning processes, public hearings, and equal taxation of land. The lawsuit is ongoing.
Cautionary Example
Two historic Black cemeteries in Prince William County, Virginia, were destroyed by the construction of a new data center, despite the county’s required 25-foot buffer to protect cemeteries.