Google data center open house leaves Chesterfield residents with unanswered questions

TL;DR: Google's open house for three planned data center campuses in Chesterfield County left residents frustrated, with many saying key questions about water usage, energy impacts, and construction timelines went unanswered.

The story

Google held open house meetings on July 15 and July 16, 2026, to present plans for three data center campuses in Chesterfield County totaling more than 1,500 acres. The events featured information tables and poster boards rather than formal presentations, allowing residents to circulate and ask questions in small groups.

Many attendees left dissatisfied with the format and said the event failed to address key questions about the projects' community impact. Residents expressed concern about water consumption, energy costs, noise from diesel generators, and wastewater management. Elizabeth Ream said the poster-board setup was not what she expected, while Mike Uzel called for "a town hall type meeting" to allow residents to hear questions and answers. Mary Finley-Brook worried about millions of gallons of water being consumed daily and characterized the communication approach as "greenwashing." Multiple attendees said they felt the event was a waste of time and that substantive information was not provided.

Google representative Clay Allsop stated that transparency was the goal of the gatherings. Google is planning three data center campuses: Project Peanut (307 acres on Bermuda Hundred Road, where construction has already begun), Project Loch (350 acres near Watkins Centre South), and Project Skye (880 acres in Upper Magnolia Green). Google has announced a $9 billion investment in Virginia data centers through the end of 2026. Project Skye is expected to impact over 20 acres of wetlands and roughly 8,000 feet of streams.

Residents have raised concerns about the lack of specific disclosures regarding water usage, job creation, electricity demand, and transmission line requirements. Some noted that while construction would generate temporary jobs, permanent employment would be minimal once the facilities became operational.

Key players

• Google: Developer of three planned data center campuses in Chesterfield County
• Chesterfield County residents: Community members attending open house to ask questions about project impacts
• Mary Finley-Brook: Resident who expressed concern about water usage and called the approach 'greenwashing'
• Elizabeth Ream: Resident concerned about energy costs and event format
• Mike Uzel: Resident who advocated for a structured town hall format and raised concerns about generator noise
• Clay Allsop: Google representative at open house

Places

• Brightpoint Community College
• Cosby High School
• Bermuda Hundred Road
• Watkins Centre South
• Route 288
• Upper Magnolia Green

Related links

• Chesterfield County Google Data Center Information
• Chesterfield neighbors to question Google about planned data centers (WTVR)
• Google Data Centers in Chesterfield, Virginia (Story Map)

Read the original at Google News: Chesterfield County →

Sources

• Chesterfield neighbors to question Google about planned data centers (WTVR)
• Some Chesterfield residents say Google data center open house left questions unanswered (WTVR)
• In Google, Chesterfield landed the 'Rolls-Royce of data center operators' (Chesterfield County)
• Google's $9B bet on a trio of Chesterfield data center campuses (VPM)
• Google's second Chesterfield data center could impact wetlands (Axios Richmond)
• Resident concerns Google data center plan (WRIC 8News)
• Google Data Center Proposal Draws Hundreds to Chesterfield Open House