Data centers in Charles City County, Virginia: 1 project mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Charles City County, a rural county about 20 miles east of Richmond that had to borrow $5 million in 2024 to avoid running out of cash, was offered a way out by a data center, and the offer collapsed under local opposition. Diode Ventures, a subsidiary of Kansas City engineering firm Black & Veatch, asked in 2025 to rezone about 515 acres of woods in the county's northwest corner, bordered by Charles City, CC and Roxbury roads, from agricultural to light industrial for the Roxbury Technology Park. Diode did not say how many buildings or how much power, but a presentation to supervisors suggested the campus could bring as much as $52 million in real estate taxes and $88 million in business personal property taxes over 20 years. The county's real estate tax collections are under $7 million a year. Diode promised 800 to 1,200 construction jobs and 50 to 100 permanent ones, and also sought approval of a centralized wastewater facility. A county staff report called digital commerce "the next industrial revolution."

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval in May 2025, but opposition grew at supervisors' meetings, where residents were already angry about the county's finances. Resident Doreen Billingsly said the county had no business doing deals like the data center if it could not handle its day-to-day business, according to meeting minutes. Nellie Turpin said the campus would be in the backyard of her home of more than 70 years, and others objected to noise, traffic, water and electricity use. The supervisors tabled the vote in June. On Aug. 18, 2025, Diode withdrew, saying it would "shift our focus elsewhere" based on the site's readiness for power and "municipal support," and indicated it would not resubmit. The county had already made data centers a permitted use in industrial zones in 2024, and the site sits in an area designated for development since 1979. What happens next: no new data center application in Charles City County has been publicly reported.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.