Frederick County adds second public hearing over data center plans
The short version: Six hours of testimony wasn't enough — Frederick County added a second hearing on data center rezoning, and residents are still split down the middle.
Our Take
When a public hearing runs six-plus hours and the council still has to schedule round two, that's not a sign of a smooth rezoning process — it's a sign the county underestimated how much this fight matters to the people who'll live next to substations and cooling towers. Credit to ABC 7 / WJLA for staying on this one, because Frederick County is fast becoming another front line in Virginia's data center buildout, right in Data Center Alley's backyard.
These zoning votes are where the real decisions get made — not in glossy economic-development pitches, but in dry rezoning language that determines how close a hyperscale campus can sit to a subdivision, a well, or a school. Once that land-use box is checked, the power-line easements, water demands, and tax-abatement asks tend to follow fast, and residents often find out what they actually approved only after the cranes show up. A packed, divided room is exactly what should happen before that ink dries, not after.
If you're in Frederick County or anywhere else watching a similar fight unfold, check our facility map to see what's already been built or proposed near you, and use our take-action resources to figure out how to actually get in front of your own county council before the second hearing becomes a done deal.
This is GridWatch the USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of ABC 7 News - WJLA, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.