PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (WSET) — As plans move forward for a major AI data center at the Berry Hill Mega Site, Pittsylvania County leaders are holding community meetings to address residents’ concerns about what the project could mean for traffic, housing and utilities.
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors Vic Ingram said the meeting was prompted, at least in part, by questions he has heard from constituents.
“You could say that in part, but I always enjoy doing community meetings. I’ve done several since I’ve been on the board, and this is just a really nice way of bringing the idea to the people and let them come here, sit and ask questions,” Ingram said.
Stack Infrastructure is set to build an AI data center within the next two decades at the Berry Hill Mega Site. Residents who live in the area raised concerns about whether the county can handle the growth that could come with the project.
One Pittsylvania County resident asked, “You talking about thousands of people. Will we be able to handle the congestion?”
Another resident asked, “Will we be able to accommodate the housing problem?”
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Pittsylvania County Economic Development Director Matt Rowe said he is prepared to answer questions, including concerns about water usage.
“There’s plenty of water going down the Dan River for these types of uses, so that’s evidence because we used to have Dan River that used to yank out 15-17 million gallons of water a day,” Rowe said.
Rowe also addressed questions about whether the data center could raise electric bills for nearby customers.
“It can’t be, because it’s not a part of the Danville Utilities system, so all the neighbors are on Danville Utilities, the megasites on Appalachian Power,” Rowe said.
Rowe said Appalachian Power and Stack Infrastructure have an agreement in place so the company will cover any higher costs associated with the site’s energy usage.
He said residents’ concerns are valid, but he pointed to what he described as a significant economic impact from the project.
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“You’re looking at an investment of 73 billion dollars with a B 2050 full-time badge employees, yes, that’s full-time and does not include construction workers,” Rowe said.