Chesterfield Residents Seek Clarity on Data Center Expansion Plans
TL;DR: Chesterfield County residents packed a June 24 board meeting to demand transparency and answers about three massive Google data center projects worth $9 billion, citing concerns over energy demand, water usage, and utility costs.
Quick facts
- Who: Google, Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors, residents, Data Coalition for Chesterfield
- What: Three data center projects (Project Peanut, Project Skye, Project Loch) spanning 1,500 acres across the county with $9 billion investment
- When: June 24, 2026 board meeting; projects announced August 2024; construction ongoing
- Where: Chesterfield County, Virginia (Bermuda Hundred Road, Watkins Center Parkway, Moseley Road)
The story
Google's plan to build three massive data center campuses across Chesterfield County has ignited a firestorm of resident frustration over secrecy, environmental impacts, and utility costs. The company's $9 billion Virginia investment includes Project Peanut on Bermuda Hundred Road near Meadowville Technology Park (300 acres), Project Skye on Watkins Center Parkway in Midlothian (slated for online operations by 2028), and Project Loch on Moseley Road west of Route 288. Combined, the three projects will span approximately 1,500 acres across the county.
The projects were announced in August 2024, but residents were largely kept in the dark due to nondisclosure agreements signed in 2018 when negotiations first began. At a packed June 24 board meeting, zero speakers supported the projects and no developers attended. Phillip Lohr of the Data Coalition for Chesterfield told supervisors, "We're all here to let the board members know that we're dissatisfied with all the data centers coming to Chesterfield County," while residents called on Google to provide specific details about water usage, employment plans, and payment arrangements.
The county already has more than 15 data centers in operation or under development. Residents expressed deep concern that rising electricity imports needed to power the facilities will drive up their own utility bills. Broader Virginia modeling by the Southern Environmental Law Center predicts that data center air quality impacts could cause two to three premature deaths annually for up to 30 years in the region. The expansion reflects data center growth across Northern Virginia, where facilities consumed close to 2 billion gallons of water in 2023, a 63 percent increase from 2019.
County officials point to economic benefits, citing tax revenue generation and job creation during construction and permanent operations. However, residents and watchdogs say promised economic gains have not been clearly substantiated, and many feel decisions reshaping their communities have already been made behind closed doors. A June 16 community forum at Manchester Middle School drew families and state lawmakers to debate Virginia's data center trajectory. Residents are organizing for continued engagement as additional proposals move forward later this summer.
Key players
- Google: Developer of three data center projects; $9 billion investment in Virginia infrastructure
- Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors: Approved three data center projects through public vote; subject to resident criticism over lack of transparency
- Phillip Lohr / Data Coalition for Chesterfield: Resident advocacy group opposing rapid data center expansion; voiced dissatisfaction at June 24 board meeting
- Mary Finley-Brook: University of Richmond researcher; filed FOIA requests for project information
Key dates
- August 2024: Google announced three data center projects in Chesterfield County
- June 16, 2026: Community forum held at Manchester Middle School to debate Virginia data center expansion
- June 24, 2026: Packed Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors meeting where residents demanded transparency and answers
- 2028: Project Skye scheduled to go online
The case for
Data centers represent significant economic development for Chesterfield County. The three Google projects alone will expand the commercial tax base; over 20 years, a $1 billion data center generates more than $71 million in combined tax revenue. Construction jobs across the 1,500 acres will span design, safety, operations, and administration. Google's broader Virginia investment of $9 billion supports cloud and AI infrastructure for national and global consumers. County officials frame data centers as attracting high-value commercial development that diversifies the regional economy beyond residential and retail uses.
The case against
Chesterfield residents argue that promised economic benefits do not offset real infrastructure and environmental costs borne by the community. Data centers demand enormous amounts of electricity and water; residents worry that imported power and water consumption will raise utility bills for households already struggling with energy costs. The secrecy surrounding the projects, enforced by nondisclosure agreements, denied residents a voice in decisions being made before formal approval. No publicly available details on water usage, full employment numbers, or Google's financial contributions to offset infrastructure strain have been shared. Broader research shows regional water consumption has surged 63 percent since 2019, and air quality modeling predicts potential health impacts, yet the county has approved projects without clear mitigation plans or resident input.
Why it matters: The data center boom is reshaping Chesterfield County's landscape, infrastructure demand, and tax base, yet residents feel excluded from decisions already being implemented. Transparency and clarity on project impacts are essential for maintaining public trust in county governance and ensuring community concerns about utilities, environment, and equity are addressed.
Places
- Bermuda Hundred Road
- Meadowville Technology Park
- Watkins Center Parkway
- Midlothian
- Moseley Road
- Route 288
- Manchester Middle School
Development timeline
- 2018Nondisclosure agreements signed: Chesterfield County and Google signed NDAs when negotiations began for Project Peanut, restricting public information for years [[source]](https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/residents-speak-out-on-data-centers-june-24-2026)
- August 2024Google announces three data center projects: Google publicly revealed plans for Project Peanut, Project Skye, and Project Loch across Chesterfield County, totaling $9 billion investment [[source]](https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/google-chesterfield-data-center-aug-27-2025)
- November 9, 2025Project Peanut site plan filed: Google filed site plan for nearly 856,000 square feet of data facilities on 300 acres at 2700 Bermuda Hundred Road [[source]](https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/google-site-plan-project-peanut-data-center-chesterfield/)
- June 16, 2026Community forum on data center expansion: Manchester Middle School hosted public forum where Chesterfield families and state lawmakers debated Virginia's growing data center industry [[source]](https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/residents-speak-out-on-data-centers-june-24-2026)
- June 24, 2026Residents demand answers at board meeting: Packed Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors meeting with zero speakers supporting data centers; residents called for transparency on water usage, jobs, and costs [[source]](https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/residents-speak-out-on-data-centers-june-24-2026)
Related links
- Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
- Chesterfield County Board Meetings
- Chesterfield County 2026 Meeting Schedule
Read the original at WTVR CBS 6 (YouTube) →
Sources
- Chesterfield residents demand answers on data center expansion (WTVR)
- Google's $9B bet on a trio of Chesterfield data center campuses (VPM)
- Google announces Chesterfield data center as part of $9B investment (Virginia Business)
- Google to invest $9bn in Virginia data centers (DCD)
- Localities weigh financial benefit, environmental impact of data centers (Cville Right Now)
- Does Virginia have enough water to quench thirsty data centers? (Frontier Group)
- Data centers, non-disclosure agreements and democracy (Virginia Mercury)