Data center 'listening tour' comes to Chesterfield on June 16
TL;DR: Virginia state Sens. Louise Lucas and Mike Jones will host a free public "Data Center Listening Tour" at Manchester Middle School in North Chesterfield on Tuesday, June 16, part of a statewide push to debate the tax breaks and rising electricity costs tied to Virginia's data center boom.
Quick facts
- Who: State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (chair of the Senate Finance Committee) and Sen. Mike Jones (District 15, Chesterfield and Richmond), joined by other Virginia state senators and guests
- What: A free, public "Data Center Listening Tour" forum on data center development and its costs
- When: Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
- Where: Manchester Middle School, 7401 Hull Street Road, North Chesterfield
The story
A statewide debate over data centers is coming to Chesterfield. On Tuesday, June 16, state Sens. L. Louise Lucas and Mike Jones will host a "Data Center Listening Tour" stop at Manchester Middle School in North Chesterfield, a free event the organizers describe as open to the public and running from 6 to 8 p.m. The Chesterfield stop, publicized in a flyer shared by the Old Hundred Elementary School PTA, is one of several around the state, with other stops planned in Virginia Beach and Prince William County.
At the center of the debate is a tax break. Virginia exempts data centers from sales taxes that one estimate puts at roughly $1.6 billion to $1.9 billion a year. The exemption dates to 2010 and was originally projected to cost the state only a tiny fraction of that; former Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed extending it through 2050. Lucas, who chairs the Senate's budget-writing Finance Committee, has become a leading skeptic, arguing the money could instead help fund schools, public safety and other services. Her position has put her at odds with fellow Democrats, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger and House leaders, who say the state should honor existing agreements with an industry that brings major investment. The dispute has been one of the sticking points in Virginia's budget.
The data center boom also carries an energy price tag that increasingly lands on ordinary ratepayers. Large data centers can use 10 to 50 times more electricity than a typical office building, regional wholesale electricity prices spiked sharply heading into 2026, and the wait to connect new projects to the grid now stretches for years. State regulators are preparing a separate rate class for large AI data centers that is set to take effect in 2027.
Chesterfield has its own stake in the question. The county has weighed data center proposals as developers look beyond crowded Northern Virginia, and local decisions about where these power-hungry facilities can go, and who pays for the electricity and infrastructure they require, are likely to keep coming before county and state leaders. The listening tour is pitched as a chance for residents to weigh in before more of those decisions are made.
Why it matters: Data centers are reshaping Virginia's budget, electricity bills and land-use fights, and Chesterfield is among the localities deciding how much of the industry to invite. The June 16 forum is a direct chance for residents to hear the arguments and tell state lawmakers what they think.
Key dates
- June 16, 2026: Data Center Listening Tour, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Manchester Middle School, North Chesterfield. Free and open to the public.
Related links
Sources
- Black Virginia News, "Sen. L. Louise Lucas to Take Data Center Tax Exemption Fight on the Road"
- Event flyer shared by the Old Hundred Elementary School PTA (event date, time and venue)