ROANOKE, Va. – Roanoke City Council unanimously passed a new ordinance Monday setting rules for where and how data centers can be built — getting ahead of potential development before any project is ever proposed.
The move comes as data centers continue to expand across Southwest Virginia, including a major Google facility in neighboring Botetourt County. City leaders say they wanted clear guidelines in place before a developer ever comes knocking.
The new ordinance limits data centers to certain zoning districts and sets construction standards covering landscaping, building design and noise. It also requires an analysis study examining potential impacts to the electrical grid, water supply and transportation.
Misty Vickers, a Roanoke City mother and member of the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance, welcomed the vote — but said it doesn’t go far enough.
“This is a step in the right direction, this is far from where it should be,” Vickers said.
What is a data center — and why the concern?
Data centers are large facilities filled with servers that power online services. They can bring heavy power and water demands, along with local environmental impacts — concerns that have drawn scrutiny from residents and advocacy groups across the region.
Roanoke City Mayor Joe Cobb said before Monday’s vote, the city had no rules in place for these facilities at all.
“We need to make sure that we have clear policy and guidelines in place as a city,” Cobb said. “We’re very limited in terms of how much land and capacity we have. These centers typically need a large amount of land to function, and Roanoke City just doesn’t have much of that. And we’re very conscientious as a city about protecting the green space that we do have.”
AI growth drives urgency
Cobb also pointed to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence as a reason the city needs to act now.
“With AI growing exponentially, how do we best manage that as a local government?” Cobb said. “The more we can be ahead of the game in looking at policy and what parameters we can set, the better we position ourselves to deal with it.”
Members of the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance pushed for stronger measures, including more public notice and disclosure requirements during Monday’s meeting.
“I was a little disappointed,” Vickers said. “With that being said I am grateful that they’ve started to put some kind of restrictions.”
The city passed the ordinance without the alliance’s recommendations but said it will look at adding additional provisions down the line.
City leaders confirmed no data center has been proposed in Roanoke yet. The new ordinance, they say, simply sets the process for if — and when — that day comes.