PEC updates on county planning, transmission, and data centers

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) summarizes regional land-use and infrastructure updates across multiple Virginia counties, highlighting implementation of Albemarle’s AC44 Comprehensive Plan and monitoring of transmission, solar, and data-center proposals.

• AC44 implementation (Albemarle County): PEC reports a three-year implementation of the AC44 Comprehensive Plan with four major initiatives: Zoning Modernization, designation of Activity Centers for higher-density development, creation of the county’s first Multimodal Transportation Plan, and a two-stage approach to the Rural Area leading to the county’s first Rural Area Plan.
• Regional project updates and permitting actions: Strata Energy withdrew the Maroon Solar conditional use application in Culpeper (may reapply later); multiple data centers are under construction in Culpeper (including Databank and STACK Infrastructure’s Culpeper Technology Campus and Copper Ridge, expected to break ground this summer); Dominion Energy acquired 85 acres adjacent to its Morrisville substation (possible expansion or battery storage); FirstEnergy plans to file its application in June to rebuild the Page-Sperryville 138 kV line; Dominion posted routes for the 765 kV Joshua Falls–Yeat line with public meetings in June/July. PEC is monitoring all items and engaging in public outreach and planning processes.