The Board approved a request from Newport Equities LLC to rezone 61.8 acres off Page Road near Anderson Highway on the Chesterfield County line from Agricultural 10 (A10) to Light Industrial (I-1), which follows a previously approved request to rezone 120 acres in 2024. The approval will result in a combined 181-acre campus for a planned 2-million-square-foot data center.
In taking the vote, supervisors noted the significant tax revenue that would be generated by the data center, which would reduce the County’s reliance on residential property taxes. Currently, residential property makes up just over 93 percent of all property values across the county, compared to less than 7 percent for commercial property. In their 2025 Strategic Plan, the Board set a goal of increasing the percentage of revenue generated by commercial properties to 15 percent. The County estimates the planned data center would result in additional annual property tax revenue of approximately $10 million.
Supervisors also noted the minimal impact of a data center compared with other potential uses for the property, including relatively low traffic impact.
“I think this project will be a phenomenal addition to Powhatan and the future of this county,” said Vice Chairman Mark Kinney, “especially to really balance out the revenue between commercial and residential.”
“It’s a parcel that’s (designated) for Economic Opportunity in our Comprehensive Plan and it’s in alignment with our strategic plan,” added Chairman Bill Donati Jr. “It has very limited impacts with profound tax revenue.”
The property is designated as Economic Opportunity in the 2021 Comprehensive Plan. This designation highlights areas that include large, contiguous parcels close to major highways, utilities, and other infrastructure, making them suitable for projects that could support regional employers and major businesses.
As part of the rezoning requests, the applicant agreed to a number of proffers including building setbacks and natural buffers along the property line, traffic improvements on Anderson Highway, and a requirement to enter into a utility agreement with the County and to fund on-site and off-site utility improvements, including contributing to improvements and upgrades for the County’s utility system required to serve the site.
Staff and the Planning Commission initially recommended denial of the rezoning request based on the absence of proffers addressing the contribution to the utility system, however the inclusion of these proffers after the Planning Commission vote resulted in staff recommending approval of the request.
In addition to the rezoning request, the Board approved a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) request to allow data center structures to exceed the 45-foot height limit, up to 75 feet with rooftop equipment allowed up to 90 feet with proper screening.