Southampton planning commission recommends 12-month delay on data-center applications while it drafts a zoning ordinance
July 16, 2026 | Southampton County, Virginia
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The Southampton County Planning Commission on July 16 voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors delay consideration of data-center zoning applications for 12 months to allow the commission time to draft a local ordinance and gather technical information.
The recommendation follows a directive from the Board of Supervisors asking the commission to prepare a model zoning ordinance for data centers. Commissioners debated whether to use the term "moratorium" (which county counsel flagged as legally risky) or instead to adopt a time-limited, rational-basis delay tied to public health, safety and welfare. The panel settled on a 12-month due-diligence delay.
Why it matters: Data centers can raise land-use, energy and water questions; commissioners said the county needs time to study closed-loop cooling systems, grid impacts and draft locally enforceable standards before fielding applications.
Commissioner comments highlighted the point. One commissioner said the county should "use our due diligence" and frame any delay on a rational basis consistent with public-safety and welfare concerns; another noted that neighboring jurisdictions had taken similar steps but that statutory and legal risks required careful wording. The commission agreed the intent is educational and regulatory, not to indefinitely bar investment.
The motion, presented as a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, reads in part as a delay "in due consideration of the public health and safety and general welfare of the community," and sets the duration at 12 months starting from the meeting date. Commissioners also asked staff to gather model ordinances and report back; staff said they will compile examples and draft language for the commission's review.
What happens next: The commission will forward its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for action; separately, staff will continue drafting the model ordinance, using outside examples and technical input as needed. The commission left open the possibility of convening additional meetings or using interim, called meetings to expedite the work.
Ending: The recommendation passed unanimously; staff and commissioners emphasized a preference for a clearly drafted, legally vetted ordinance rather than a blunt moratorium.
The recommendation follows a directive from the Board of Supervisors asking the commission to prepare a model zoning ordinance for data centers. Commissioners debated whether to use the term "moratorium" (which county counsel flagged as legally risky) or instead to adopt a time-limited, rational-basis delay tied to public health, safety and welfare. The panel settled on a 12-month due-diligence delay.
Why it matters: Data centers can raise land-use, energy and water questions; commissioners said the county needs time to study closed-loop cooling systems, grid impacts and draft locally enforceable standards before fielding applications.
Commissioner comments highlighted the point. One commissioner said the county should "use our due diligence" and frame any delay on a rational basis consistent with public-safety and welfare concerns; another noted that neighboring jurisdictions had taken similar steps but that statutory and legal risks required careful wording. The commission agreed the intent is educational and regulatory, not to indefinitely bar investment.
The motion, presented as a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, reads in part as a delay "in due consideration of the public health and safety and general welfare of the community," and sets the duration at 12 months starting from the meeting date. Commissioners also asked staff to gather model ordinances and report back; staff said they will compile examples and draft language for the commission's review.
What happens next: The commission will forward its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for action; separately, staff will continue drafting the model ordinance, using outside examples and technical input as needed. The commission left open the possibility of convening additional meetings or using interim, called meetings to expedite the work.
Ending: The recommendation passed unanimously; staff and commissioners emphasized a preference for a clearly drafted, legally vetted ordinance rather than a blunt moratorium.
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