By Curry Roberts
President, Fredericksburg Regional Alliance
For years, I watched as Northern Virginia transformed into “Data Center Alley,” bringing unprecedented economic growth and opportunities to that region. As president of the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, I knew our region could benefit from similar strategic development. That’s why, in alignment with our localities, we worked for so long to attract data center investments to our area.
When Amazon Web Services announced its historic $35 billion investment in Virginia data centers in early 2023, with significant development planned for our region, it validated our strategic vision. This wasn't just about attracting any industry — we specifically sought data centers because they provide substantial tax revenue with minimal strain on public services, while creating both abundant employment opportunities both inside the data center and throughout the supply chain outside the data center.
The truth is, data centers are the linchpin of our economy. According to several studies, the average US household has between 17-21 connected devices and gigabyte usage per month per household has doubled since 2019. As a matter fact, this letter to the editor was sent electronically and you are reading it virtually, both of which need to go through a data center.
Let me be clear about what this means for our communities. Unlike residential developments that require extensive public services, data centers generate significant tax revenue while placing minimal demands on our public infrastructure. This translates directly into tangible benefits for our residents. We’re talking about the ability to increase teacher salaries to attract and retain top educators, enhance our first responders’ compensation packages, reduce pressure on real estate taxes, and upgrade emergency services equipment. The revenue will help fund new school construction and modernization efforts, improve our regional healthcare facilities, and accelerate critical road improvements throughout our region.
The impact is already evident. I heard a stat recently from our friends at IBEW that approximately 2,000 electricians reside in the Fredericksburg area. For years those electricians have traveled north each day on I-95 to help meet the needs of data center development in Northern Virginia. Now, those skilled workers can put their talents to work near home in Louisa, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Caroline counties. Beyond the construction jobs and permanent positions at these facilities, we’re seeing a ripple effect throughout our economy. Local contractors, suppliers, and service providers are expanding their operations. Real estate values are strengthening, and our tax base is growing — providing resources for schools, public safety, and infrastructure improvements.
But what truly excites me is AWS’s commitment to workforce development. Their Information Infrastructure Pre-Apprenticeship (I2PA) program at Germanna Community College last November prepared local residents for well-paying careers in this growing industry. The program offers comprehensive training in everything from electrical systems and HVAC to fiber optics and mechanical systems. These aren’t just jobs — they're career pathways into the digital economy.
Amazon has also demonstrated their commitment to being a true community partner through their In-Communities Fund, contributing over $400,000 to support 48 local projects across our region. These investments in STEM education and sustainability show that Amazon understands the importance of holistic community development.
As we look to the future, I’m proud of our region's foresight in pursuing this opportunity. The data center industry is bringing high-tech infrastructure, skilled jobs, and significant tax revenue that will benefit our communities for generations to come. This is exactly the type of sustainable economic development we envisioned — one that builds both infrastructure and opportunity.
When I drive through our region today, I see more than just construction sites for data centers. I see new schools being planned, road improvements taking shape, and community services expanding. I see career opportunities that will keep our young people here rather than commuting to Northern Virginia. I see the foundation of our digital future being laid right here in the Fredericksburg region. And that future looks brighter than ever.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”
https://www.arlnow.com/2022/05/02/new-missing-middle-draft-calls-for-legalizing-multifamily-housing-countywide/
Part 5, Page 3 (8-13-25 FDC Mtg handout: 'Racism & Zoning):
homes that are geographically separated from the main downtown corridor by roads and geography, just like the FHA recommended.
This hyper concentration of apartments can cause lower health outcomes over time. In Richmond, there are blocks of "affordable housing" apartments that were built with no AC, no landscaping, no attention to mitigation of heat.
On current heat maps they are bright red, where more affluent areas, with mixed housing are so much cooler they read blue on a color map. Heat is a known killer and as climate change increases these areas will only get worse.
What can be done about this?
The historic impacts of direct and indirect racial and economic segregation will be hard to undo, but people are trying. Modern zoning trends have moved toward Form-Based zoning that allows for a better mix of multifamily and single-family homes based more on conformity of form rather than on occupancy.
An example of this would be a three-story apartment building with 6-12 apartments situated in a neighborhood that contains two and three-story homes as well as blocks of townhomes averaging 2 to 3 stories. This mix allows for people of various economic and social backgrounds to be able to live and enjoy the same amenities.
Reducing Parking minimums and height restrictions can help as well as reducing lot size requirements and setbacks.
But there are still a lot of pitfalls, and our city is not immune to them. Zoning can still be used to divide the haves from the have-nots if it's improperly applied. Zoning that regularly requires or allows exceptions is inherently economically biased. Asking for a zoning exception takes time and money, so it disproportionately benefits the wealthiest folks who can work the system to meet their needs.
Housing affordability in general is also a huge concern in our area, as land is naturally limited. Even if we build, building itself can cause affordability issues with developers motivated to make the most money possible and not to build for the masses.
We are limited in what we can do in Fredericksburg at this time to address this because of the Dillon Rule, which does not allow our city to create certain kinds of rules and regulations. A prime example of this is rent control or affordable housing requirements.
We do not have the ability to place these requirements on builders, and instead have to offer them carrots and incentives to motivate them, which do not always match their main economic motivations. Changing this at the state level may be possible in the coming years and would be helpful as costs continue to increase.