My prediction is that now that the Data Center industry has the City Council they bought and paid for, this will sail through 7-0 no matter what the public input is.
We received an important update about draught conditions in the Fredericksburg Advance. Do data centers make sense if we may not shower or do laundry? Water Park in Spotsylvania? Perhaps caution is necessary.
The city doesn't even have the 'purple' water for DATA CENTERS, whether it is the 8-12 projected to go in near the Fred Nats ballpark near the apts with children who are historically disenfranchised or the seniors in 'Jubilation'. or the 1500 Gateway threat of 4 DATA CENTERS to the backyards of the Great Oaks neighborhood (where the VA Hospital was supposed to go). The problem is at Caroline St.
Charlie Payne, the region's DATA CENTER attorney with Hirschler Law for the applicant said, that they prefer the Option A route for the 1500 Gateway project which means going down Cowan Blvd past the neighborhoods of The Preserve at Smith Run and Hills of Snowden.
Matt Kelly, who has the most experience with being on Council when they came up earlier, spoke at the 12-10-25 public comment mic at the Planning Commission and asked, ~why would you say you're not going near Hugh Mercer ES because of the children but then run a transmission line near neighborhoods with children. Doesn't make sense.
Speakers spoke about the pollutants that these environmental catastrophes belch, even directly or indirectly.
If the 1500 Gateway project proceeds with the Council (the next step after Planning Commission), the developer will remove 84 acres of trees. These trees provide a noise buffer as well as protect the community from air pollution from I-95.
Residents don’t want to live near the DATA CENTERS and their ‘Digital smog’.
The Harvard Business Review, in an article by Ren & Weirman on Nov 5, 2025, says that DATA CENTERS release air pollutants and include PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides.
These pollutants are often called ‘silent killers’ because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and are linked to a variety of health outcomes, such as asthma, lung cancer, heart attacks, and even premature death.
These types of pollutants are considered ‘non-threshold’, meaning there is NO SAFE LEVEL.
Public Health needs to be at the center of any LAND USE decision-making in this city on these behemoths. IF and where they’re built in Fredericksburg.
The JLARC Dec 9, 2024 report states that DATA CENTERS should be located in an industrial zone AWAY from neighborhoods. For the Hylton tract, because there’s not enough ‘purple water’, it’s likely the city will just have to go with a couple of thousand homes, which will impact the schools.
At least there could be a park there as part of that new neighborhood.
My prediction is that now that the Data Center industry has the City Council they bought and paid for, this will sail through 7-0 no matter what the public input is.
We received an important update about draught conditions in the Fredericksburg Advance. Do data centers make sense if we may not shower or do laundry? Water Park in Spotsylvania? Perhaps caution is necessary.
The city doesn't even have the 'purple' water for DATA CENTERS, whether it is the 8-12 projected to go in near the Fred Nats ballpark near the apts with children who are historically disenfranchised or the seniors in 'Jubilation'. or the 1500 Gateway threat of 4 DATA CENTERS to the backyards of the Great Oaks neighborhood (where the VA Hospital was supposed to go). The problem is at Caroline St.
Charlie Payne, the region's DATA CENTER attorney with Hirschler Law for the applicant said, that they prefer the Option A route for the 1500 Gateway project which means going down Cowan Blvd past the neighborhoods of The Preserve at Smith Run and Hills of Snowden.
Matt Kelly, who has the most experience with being on Council when they came up earlier, spoke at the 12-10-25 public comment mic at the Planning Commission and asked, ~why would you say you're not going near Hugh Mercer ES because of the children but then run a transmission line near neighborhoods with children. Doesn't make sense.
Speakers spoke about the pollutants that these environmental catastrophes belch, even directly or indirectly.
If the 1500 Gateway project proceeds with the Council (the next step after Planning Commission), the developer will remove 84 acres of trees. These trees provide a noise buffer as well as protect the community from air pollution from I-95.
Residents don’t want to live near the DATA CENTERS and their ‘Digital smog’.
The Harvard Business Review, in an article by Ren & Weirman on Nov 5, 2025, says that DATA CENTERS release air pollutants and include PM2.5 and nitrogen oxides.
These pollutants are often called ‘silent killers’ because they can penetrate deep into the lungs and are linked to a variety of health outcomes, such as asthma, lung cancer, heart attacks, and even premature death.
These types of pollutants are considered ‘non-threshold’, meaning there is NO SAFE LEVEL.
Public Health needs to be at the center of any LAND USE decision-making in this city on these behemoths. IF and where they’re built in Fredericksburg.
The JLARC Dec 9, 2024 report states that DATA CENTERS should be located in an industrial zone AWAY from neighborhoods. For the Hylton tract, because there’s not enough ‘purple water’, it’s likely the city will just have to go with a couple of thousand homes, which will impact the schools.
At least there could be a park there as part of that new neighborhood.