County profile · Virginia
Spotsylvania County: data centers & powered land
As of June 2026 Spotsylvania had approved eight data centers with ten more in the pipeline; campuses in the county include Amazon's Cosner Tech and PowerHouse 95.[1][2][3]
Last reviewed
Zoning
- The county originally treated data centers as an office use allowed by right in office, commercial, rural commercial, industrial, planned commercial and village districts.[4]
- On December 9, 2025 the county limited by-right data centers to the Industrial 1 and Industrial 2 districts and required Special Use Permits in other office and commercial districts.[4][5]
- On February 24, 2026 the county eliminated by-right data center development entirely, requiring a Special Use Permit in all Office, Commercial and Industrial districts.[4]
- As of September 2026, the county says every approved data center project was approved through a rezoning and is subject to proffers.[4]
- A proposed Comprehensive Plan policy from August 2026 would designate 45% of industrial acreage for data centers; the county says it was still in the public hearing process in fall 2026 and not yet adopted.[4]
- Board standards call for Tier 4 or better diesel backup generators, and a sound assessment is required when homes or schools are within 500 feet; approved projects committed through proffers to a maximum of 65 dBA, and Cosner Tech to 55 dBA at the property line.[4]
Power & transmission
- The SCC approved Dominion's Tributary 230 kV double-circuit line and new substation in Spotsylvania, planned with Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, in case PUR-2024-00181; construction is scheduled from summer 2026 to early 2027.[6]
- The SCC approved Dominion's Ladysmith-St. John's-Lee's Hill 230 kV project in Caroline and Spotsylvania counties on May 28, 2025 in case PUR-2024-00159, with construction planned from early 2026 to summer 2028.[7]
- Dominion's proposed North Anna to Bristers 500 kV and 230 kV project crosses Louisa, Spotsylvania, Caroline, Stafford and Fauquier counties; Dominion plans to file the southern North Anna to Thornburg segment with the SCC in fall 2026.[8]
- The county requires applicants to provide confirmation from the retail utility on substations and transmission voltage before approval, and notes that lines of 138 kV or more are approved by the SCC, not the county.[4]
Utilities
| Utility | Type |
|---|---|
| Dominion Energy Virginia | Investor-owned utility |
| Rappahannock Electric Cooperative | Electric cooperative |
Campuses
| Campus | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cosner Tech Campus | Amazon Web Services | Operating |
| PowerHouse 95 (PH 95 North) | PowerHouse (owned by parent company AREP) | Under construction |
| Crossroads Technology Campus | Kettler (developer), with Amazon Web Services as operator | Proposed |
Incentives & taxes
- Spotsylvania taxes data center equipment at $1.25 per $100 of assessed value, a rate it adopted in April 2019 along with Stafford and Fredericksburg.[4]
- That rate is well below Fairfax ($4.57), Prince William ($4.50) and Loudoun and Fauquier ($4.15), and a Planning Commission member has pushed the board to raise it.[1]
Water
- Since November 14, 2023 (Ordinance No. 22-38), data centers may not use public drinking water for permanent cooling, and staff will recommend SUP conditions barring groundwater use.[4]
- A privately financed reuse system will supply treated wastewater for cooling along a 13-mile corridor in the southeast of the county, scheduled to serve Cosner Tech and PowerHouse 95 from the 2028-2029 cooling season.[4]
Fiber
No sourced facts in the directory yet.
Local sentiment
- Residents near the proposed Crossroads campus have raised concerns about noise, generator emissions, home values and the pace of approvals, and at least one resident called for a moratorium or pause on data centers.[1][9]
- The advocacy group Safeguard Spotsy urged the Board to drop data centers as a targeted industry in the Comprehensive Plan update scheduled for a vote on October 27, 2026.[10]
Known gaps
- Outcome of the October 27, 2026 Comprehensive Plan vote and the 45% industrial-acreage data center policy was not confirmed.
- Board of Supervisors hearing and final vote on Crossroads Technology Campus (SUP26-0003) had not occurred as of late October 2026.
- No public source confirmed which utility serves the Cosner Tech or PowerHouse 95 campuses, or their contracted megawatts.
- No county fiber or dark-fiber route information was found.
- Status of other Amazon filings (Summit Crossing, Carter's Store, Orrock) was not verified.
Screening a parcel in Spotsylvania County?
Other Virginia counties
Sources
- Spotsylvania residents push back on data centers and the county's low data center tax WJLA 7News. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- Amazon: Cosner Tech Campus Baxtel. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- PowerHouse breaks ground on 800MW data center campus in Spotsylvania County, Virginia DatacenterDynamics. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- Data Center FAQs Spotsylvania County. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- Code Amendments Spotsylvania County. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- Tributary 230 kV Transmission Project Dominion Energy. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- Ladysmith-St. John's-Lee's Hill 230 kV Project Dominion Energy. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- North Anna to Bristers Project Dominion Energy. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- Spotsylvania Planners recommend approval for 555-acre Amazon data center WJLA 7News. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
- This Week's Data Center Developments FXBG Advance. Accessed . (opens in a new tab)
10 sources cited. See the methodology for how facts are selected and reviewed.