Chesterfield EDA lining up two data center projects in western part of the county

The Chesterfield EDA is seeking to rezone 970 acres (within the dotted lines) for a data center project on a portion of the Upper Magnolia Green site. The black line is the proposed Powhite Parkway extension. (County documents)

Hundreds of acres in the western part of Chesterfield would be dedicated to data center projects under a pair of zoning proposals put forth by the county’s Economic Development Authority.

The EDA this week filed rezoning requests that would tee up two data center campuses, one near Westchester Commons and the other on a portion of the Upper Magnolia Green site near Moseley.

The EDA also submitted a zoning request that would create a conservation area on Upper Magnolia Green’s eastern side, which is currently zoned for residential development.

More than 1,300 acres are subject to the two data center rezoning requests, which have been spurred by conversations between county staff and an unidentified prospective data center operator.

“With the increasing reliance on digital services, data centers are a critical component of modern infrastructure. These rezoning efforts will enable us to secure a top-tier operator with a strong track record of supporting communities and practicing efficient operations globally,” Chesterfield Economic Development Director Garrett Hart said in a prepared statement.

Data center cases

The data center developments are proposed for areas where light-industrial development has been projected by the county, and the sites were selected because of their proximity to existing and planned electrical infrastructure and public utilities, according to a county news release.

The data center project near Moseley is proposed for a 970-acre assemblage that includes northern portions of the Upper Magnolia Green site rezoned in 2022 for a technology park, in addition to other land. Land for the project site in the latest rezoning request is either owned by the EDA or is under contract to be sold to it.

Among the proffered conditions for an 870-acre piece of the project site, dubbed Tract A, would be an agreement to limit the development’s principal use to data centers and related accessory uses, such as offices, research-and-development facilities, warehouses and substations.

The site’s nearly 100-acre Tract B, as a proffered condition, would be limited to data centers, offices, labs, pharmaceutical products manufacturing and R&D facilities, and a few other principal uses. The restriction is the same as the rules that govern the Upper Magnolia Green site zoned for economic development that borders Tract B on three sides and is not part of the latest rezoning proposal.

The project would include buffers and a 150-foot limit on building heights. Transportation proffers include a plan to build a two-lane road that would connect Mount Hermon Road and Westerleigh Parkway, according to application filings.

To the north and near Westchester Commons, the EDA is seeking to rezone 345 acres for a data center project dubbed Watkins Centre South.

A data center project is proposed for more than 340 acres near Westchester Commons. (County documents)

The EDA is under contract to acquire the multiparcel assemblage it wants to rezone. The site would be limited to data centers as a principal use along with related accessory uses, according to the case filings.

Proffered transportation improvements include a traffic signal, roundabout or something similar, if deemed necessary, at the Route 288 interchange with Watkins Center Parkway. Also proffered are buffers and a 150-foot building height limit.

The EDA is seeking to rezone the project sites to Industrial (I-2).

Portions of the Upper Magnolia and Watkins Centre sites are already zoned for data center development, but the newly filed requests are seeking to bring other parts of the project sites into alignment to allow the data center facilities to be built.

County officials declined to comment on the anticipated total square footage or number of buildings that would be established at the two data center facilities. It was unclear whether one or more firms would operate at the sites.

Conservation case

The Chesterfield EDA is seeking zoning approval to create a conservation area on the eastern portion of the Upper Magnolia Green site. The black line is the proposed extension of the Powhite Parkway, and light gray lines are other proposed roads. (County documents)

Alongside plans for data center development, the EDA also envisions leaving several hundred acres untouched in the Upper Magnolia site.

A separate zoning proposal would create a “Swift Creek Preserve” conservation area of at least 350 acres that would be managed by Chesterfield. It would eliminate the possibility of residential development on the site referred to as Upper Magnolia East.

The conservation areas, intended to provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities, would be established around the school facilities being built between Westerleigh Parkway and Duval Road.

While initiated by the county’s EDA, the zoning requests will still go through the typical rezoning process. The Planning Commission is expected to consider the requests, and ultimately the Board of Supervisors will render a final decision on the requests at a future meeting. Both meetings would include public hearings.

Two community meetings about the projects are planned this month. A meeting on the Upper Magnolia Green projects will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 19 at Cosby High School, 14300 Fox Club Parkway. A meeting to discuss the Watkins Centre project is slated for 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 24 at Midlothian High School, 401 Charter Colony Parkway.

The trio of zoning requests come after the Board of Supervisors voted several years ago to rezone the 2,400-acre Upper Magnolia Green site near Moseley. At that time, supervisors rezoned a 1,700-acre portion of the site to permit a new technology park. They also approved a separate, concurrent request to rezone 700 acres on the eastern side of the property for public facilities and hundreds of single-family homes. The residential component would be eliminated under the latest rezoning request. Both rezoning requests were initiated by the county.

Chesterfield has received state grant funding in recent years to finance infrastructure at the Upper Magnolia property. The county received $13 million through the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program in 2024 and got $25 million through the same program the previous year.

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