Hampton and Virginia Data Centers: A Call for a Pause

Sep 9

15 min read

Why I am calling for a pause on new data centers

Updated September 9, 2026

I am calling for a pause on new data centers in Hampton and statewide. We need clear answers about electricity demand, water use, noise, land use and public costs before more projects move forward.

The electricity consumption tax is not enough for me while Virginia continues offering more than a billion dollars in sales-and-use tax exemptions. Residents deserve to see what the industry pays and what the public gives up.

Virginia's January 2026 biennial report lists approximately $1.9 billion in sales-and-use tax benefits reported by data center operators for FY2025. The report says the figures were self-reported and not independently validated. That is a reported tax benefit, not a calculation of the industry's net fiscal impact.

My call for a pause is based on the evidence and the questions that remain unanswered. The June 8 recording below explains the concerns behind that position.

Recorded civic commentary • Original video published June 8, 2026 • Watch: 32 minutes

This is my full Hampton data center breakdown: what residents should be told about power demand, water use, noise, land use, jobs, tax incentives and long-term public costs.

Hampton data center development: public clarity first

Residents deserve clear answers before a project gathers momentum. In this recording, I examine the city's April 9, 2026 meeting notes and explain why changing the language around data centers cannot replace explaining the consequences to the people who live here.

Watch: my Hampton data center breakdown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWKl2fV8kqQ

Power, water, noise and the public cost of data centers

The breakdown calls for a plain-language public briefing, a power-impact review, water estimates, a noise study, a clear land-use explanation, an honest accounting of jobs and tax benefits, and enforceable conditions.

These questions connect a specific development proposal to everyday concerns: utility costs, neighborhood conditions, public infrastructure and whether the promised benefits reach Hampton residents.

Hampton data center video transcript

Transcript from the video's captions. Caption wording and names may contain errors; the recording is the source. This is the June 8 commentary, preserved with its original context.

READ THE FULL VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

They said the quiet part in the public minutes before Hampton ever votes on a data center project, before a developer steps to a microphone, before residents are told this is progress. This sentence needs to be understood. The notes say there was a suggestion to rebrand the term data center to avoid negative perceptions. Read that again. Rebrand the term data center to avoid negative perceptions. Not explain it. Not answer the concerns. Not show residents the full cost. Rebrand it. Because apparently the problem is not the power demand, not the water question, not the noise, not the land use, not who pays for the infrastructure. The problem is that residents might hear the words data center and start asking questions.

Good. They should. That is not negativity. That is citizenship. And if a project cannot survive basic public questions, then maybe the problem is not the public. Maybe the problem is the project. That is why I raised the issue before city council. Not because I had a crystal, this magical crystal ball. Because pattern recognition matters. When leaders start to learn from private interests before residents get a clear public explanation, the public needs to pay attention. When the meeting includes proprietary information, closed sessions and business development language, residents need to pay attention. And when the notes say the term should be rebranded to avoid negative perceptions, residents really need to pay attention.

Because that is no longer just a technology conversation. That is a public trust conversation. This video is about one standard public clarity before private momentum. Not after the deal is shaped. Not after the talking points are polished. Not after residents get three minutes at a podium. before because Hampton has seen this pattern before. My community has lived through this pattern before. A project gets discussed, residents hear about it late, concerns get minimized, language gets softened, and then people are told we are too far down the road now. No, not no. Hell no. This is not how resident first leadership works. Resident first leadership means you name the issue early.

You show the receipts. You explain the cost. You answer the hard questions before people are asked to live with the consequences. So let's talk plainly. A data center is not magic. It is not some invisible cloud floating above us. The cloud has a physical address. It sits on land. It pulls power. It needs cooling. It connects through fiber. It may need backup generators. If it's any kind of professional company, which they all are, they're going to have redundancies or backup plans. It may need substations. It may create noise. It may use water. All of those are they will. And if the policy is written poorly, regular people can end up carrying costs they never agreed to carry.

That is not fear. That's basic math. That's basic planning. And I'm a planner. That is basic public accountability. And oh, don't get it twisted. Virginia is not new to this conversation. One industry directory, data center map, currently list more than 4,300 data centers across the United States. You're going to see that on the screen. Virginia is listed as 609. Texas is is listed as 467. California is listed as 287. So, let's not pretend Virginia is just exploring data centers. Virginia is already the data center capital of America. And according to JL ARC, Northern Virginia is the largest data center market in the world. Not Hampton, not Virginia, not the United States, the world.

So Hampton should not approach this like we are are stepping into some brand new opportunity with no lessons available. The lessons are already here. The warnings are already here. The numbers are already here. The resident complaints in other communities are already here. The actual videos are already out there which you will see couple in this video. The question is h is whether Hampton will learn before it acts. The question is whether Hampton will learn before it acts. Now let's get back to the meeting notes. On the April 9th, 2026, Hampton City Council and city staff took a special session trip They traveled from Hampton, Virginia to Henraco and Hanover, Virginia.

They toured Pixel Factory Data Center in Ashland. And they tooured QTS Richmond in Stanston. The stated purpose was to strengthen council and staff understanding of the this emerging technology. That part alone is never the problem. Leaders should study. Leaders should ask questions. Leaders should understand complicated issues before making decisions. But the public also deserves to know what kind of conversation was happening around the technology. Because the minutes do not just talk about servers and fiber. They talk about challenges. They talk about solutions. They talk about rebranding. The notes mention cooling systems. They mentioned closed loop systems as one way to address water issues.

They mentioned Dominion energy constraints in building new substations. They mentioned that companies can build their own substations. They mentioned difficulty finding suitable sites. They mentioned self-generated power and associated noise. They mentioned that direct employment needs are relatively low. They mention a technician starting salary at QTS of about $75,000. Those are all important details. But then comes the line that should make every Hampton resident sit up. There was a suggestion to rebrand the term data center to avoid negative perceptions. Think about that. Think about that. And you're going to see you're going to see the actual notes in front of you as well.

There was a term suggestion to rebrand the term data center to avoid negative perceptions. Then later the notes say rebranding data centers as digital infrastructure is important to avoid negative perceptions. Let's be clear. Digital infrastructure is a real term. Fiber is digital infrastructure. Internet exchanges are digital infrastructure. Subc cables are digital infrastructure. Data centers can be part of a digital infrastructure. But the issue is not whether the phrase can be technically defended. The issue is why the language is being shifted. The minutes do not say to use clear language so residents understand. The minute say rebrand to avoid negative perceptions, that is different.

That is not education. That is not positioning. That is not public clarity. That is message control. And Hampton residents do not need message control. They need the full ledger. Benefits on one side, cost on the other. Promises on one side, enforcable protections on the other. Tax revenue on one side, power, water, land, noise and infrastructure risks on the other. That is the conversation, not a rebrand, a reckoning. Now, let's talk about the promise. Data centers can generate tax revenue. They can bring construction activity. They can support the digital economy. They can help build regional connectivity. They can attract certain types of technology investment.

Those facts can be true. But benefits do not cancel questions. Revenue does not erase risk. A $75,000 technician salary does not answer the power question. A new tax base does not answer the water question. A regional vision does not answer the neighborhood question. And calling something digital infrastructure does not answer who pays when the bills come due. That is where public clarity matters. A typical 250,000 foot data center may have about 50 full-time workers and about half may be contract workers. Construction can bring far more workers, but construction is temporary. Operations are permanent. Residents deserve to know the difference because there is a big difference between a 12 month to 18month construction boom and a long-term land use decision that shapes the community for decades.

So, if a data center comes to Hampton, residents should ask How many permanent jobs? How many are construction jobs? How many jobs go to Hampton residents? What training pipeline exist? What wages are guaranteed? What local hiring standard exist? What happens after construction ends? Do not just say jobs because they say that all the time. They try to throw jobs in our faces like we are less than in terms of intelligence to understand what that actually means. Show the job count. Show the job type. Show the wages. Show the duration. Show the local benefit. That is the standard. Now let's talk power. This is the heavyweight issue. JL ARC says modern data centers consume substantially more energy than other commercial or industrial operations.

Their independent forecast found that unconstrained demand for power in Virginia would double within the next 10 years. And they also say that the data center industry is the main driver of that doubling. That should stop the room right there. That is the issue. and bright neon lights because power is not imaginary. Power has to be generated. Power has to be transmitted. Power has to be delivered. Power requires infrastructure and infrastructure has a cost. The Hampton notes are already mentioned that Dominion energy constraints in building new substations. They also mentioned that companies have the option to build their own substations. Good.

Then make that public. Who pays for the substation? Who owns it? Who maintains it? Who carries the risk if demand changes? Who carries the risk if the project scales down? Who carries the risk if energy forecasts are wrong? Who carries the risk if infrastructure is built and the expected benefit does not show up? Because the worst version of economic development is when the company gets certainty and the public gets exposure. Jark also says that data centers currently pay the their full cost for of service under the current rates. That fact matters. They also say that growing energy demand will likely increase systems cost for all customers including non-data center customers.

That's you and me, me and you. And they estimated that a typical Dominion uh residential customer could see generation and transmission cost increase by 14 to $37 per month by 2040 before inflation. 14 to $37 per month by 2040 before inflation. So let me say this plainly. Even if data centers pay their current bills, the bigger system costs can still affect regular customers. And that is why rate design matters. That is why infrastructure agreements matter. That is why local officials cannot just accept the headline number and move on. The headline may say investment, the fine print says exposure. and residents live in the fine print. We don't live in anything else but the fine print.

Now, let's talk the last one, water. The Hampton notes mentioned cooling systems. They mentioned closed loop systems as a way to address the water issue. That may be part of an answer, but it's not the full answer because closed loop is a phrase residents need numbers. How much water from what source under normal operation? During peak summer heat, during drought conditions, during expansion, what cooling system? What backup system? What monitoring? What reporting? Jark says data centers require industrial scale cooling. They also say water use depends on size, computing density and type of cooling system. That means one data center is not system automatically the same as another.

So Hampton should not accept generic answers. Generic answers protect the presenter. Specific answers protect the public. And that should be the goal. Now, let's talk noise because this is where a lot of residents get dismissed. People hear noise and they think volume. But data center noise is not always about a loud sound. Sometimes it is about a constant sound, the hum, the low frequency sound that is 24/7. m. Heat. Heat. That sound that is there when you wake up. That sound that is there when you go to sleep. That sound that may not violate a basic noise ordinance, but it still affects your quality of life. Jark says the data centers can emit low frequency noise that is rarely loud enough to violate your typical noise ordinance, but nearby residents can still report that constant noise affects their well-being.

That is the kind of issue the government often misses because the form says complaints. But the resident says I cannot live like this. And when the form and the resident do not match, leadership should not hide behind the form. Leadership should fix the standard. Jark recommends uh stronger authority for sound modeling and zoning based on sound standards. That means Hampton should require a sound study before approval, not after complaints, not after construction, not after a neighborhood has to organize itself just to be believed before. Because if this hum is predictable then the protection should be predictable too. Now let's talk laying. Data centers are industrial scale facilities.

Jark says they are largely incompatible with residential uses. That does not mean every data center is automatically bad. It means location matters. And in Hampton location is always matters. We are not a blank map. We are not Lowden County and we are not wide open county with endless land like Suffach is or at least Suffach seems to be. Hampton is built tight. Neighborhoods are close to commercial corridors. Roads are already carrying pressure. Flooding is already part of the conversation. Military assets matter. Historic communities matter. Schools matter. Emergency access matters. The future of surrounding land matters. So when someone says digital infrastructure, Hampton residents should immediately ask where?

How close to homes? How close to schools? How close to floodprone areas? How close to roads that are already stressed? How much land? How much buffer? How much power? How much water? How much noise? How much backup generation? How much tax benefit? How much public cost? And what happens if the facility expands? Because in Hampton, location is not a detail. Location is the difference between growth with purpose and growth with consequences. That is why I keep coming back to the rebranded line. That that really sticks with me because if the public concerned is wrong, correct it. If the public concern is fair, address it. If the risk is manageable, prove it.

If the benefits are strong, show them. But do not rename the issue and act like the questions should disappear. That is not leadership. That is theater with a glossery. And Hampton residents deserve better. Here is the public clarity standard I believe Hampton should require before any potential data center project moves forward. First, a plain language public briefing. No jargon, no soft language, no sales pitches. Tell the residents what is being considered, where it could go, and why the city believes it deserves consideration. Second, a power impact statement. How much power will it use? What upgrades are required? Who pays for them? Who owns them?

Who maintains them? Who what protects residents from long-term cost shifting? Third is a water use estimate. Normal conditions, peak conditions, drought conditions, expansion conditions. Do not just say efficient pooling. Show the numbers. And forth a noise study, not a basic is it too loud test where we can sit up and watch a presentation where they say that uh a truck sounds like a a air conditioner. I say that because that happened to my neighborhood. But a real sound model that accounts for constant low frequency noise, the kind of noise that people may actually have to live with. Fifth, a land use review will buffer setbacks, nearby homes, nearby schools, roads, flooding, emergency access, future expansion, community impact.

Six, the tax and jobs ledger. How many permanent jobs? How many temporary jobs? How many local jobs? What is a salary range? What tax revenue? What incentives? What exemptions? What does Hampton give? What does Hampton get? And seventh is an enforcability plan because a promise is not protection. A presentation is not protection. A handshake is not protection. If protections matter, write them down. Make them public. Make them measurable. Make them enforceable. And make sure residents know who is responsible. If those protections are violated, that is how serious government works. This is not about fear. This is about facts. This is about Hampton refusing to be late to its own future.

Because if a project is already being discussed in closed rooms, residents should not be treated like an afterthought in open rooms. If private businesses get careful attention, residents should get clear answers. If the industry gets to explain its opportunity, the public gets to examine the cost. That is balance. That is fairness. That is public clarity. And let's be honest, this the reason this matters is because Hampton has seen what happens when residents are heard too late. People raise concerns. They are told to wait. They are told the issue is complicated. They are told staff is reviewing it. They are told the project has already been studied.

Then the vote comes. Then the consequences come. The residents are told to adapt. That cycle needs to end. Not just on data centers on every major decision. That is why this matters beyond one possible project. It tests the way Hampton governs. Does Hampton explain early or does Hampton defend late? Does Hampton show the full ledger or only the sales sheet? Does Hampton ask hard questions before residents are affected or are residents start complaining? Does Hampton treat residents as partners or as obstacles to be managed? That is the real issue because residents are not negative for asking questions. Residents are not anti-progress for asking who pays.

Residents are not anti-technology for asking about power. Residents are not anti- business for asking about tax incentives. That is what responsible residents do. They ask the questions that protect the city from bad decisions. And leaders who respect residents should welcome those questions, not rebrand around them. So when I read that the meeting notes included a suggestion to rebrand data centers to avoid negative perceptions, I did not see a small wording choice. I saw a warning sign. I saw a red flag because once that language gets softened, the risk can get softened. Once the risk gets softened, the questions get softened. Once the questions get softened, the public get the public gets boxed into a conversation that was shaped before they entered the room.

Once the questions get softened, the public gets boxed into a conversation that was shaped before they entered the room. That cannot be the standard. The standard should be simple. Name it. Frame it. Narrate the fix. Name the issue plainly. Frame it with facts. Then tell the residents exactly what protections will be required before anything moves forward. That is not complicated. It just requires discipline and it require leaders who are not scared of hard questions. So here's my position. If Hampton is going to explore data centers, explore them in public. If there are benefits, show them. If there are risk, name them. If there are costs, disclose them.

If there are protections, write them. If there are incentives, justify them. If there are jobs, count them honestly. If there are environmental impacts, measure them. If there are utility impacts, explain them. If there are neighborhood impacts, do not wait for the neighborhoods to beg to be heard. Bring residents in early. That is what proactive leadership looks like. But also, proactive leadership is what Virginia Beach um did and said, and they said hell no to AI data centers. I respect that because they were they weren't they weren't they learned but they weren't waiting. They weren't reactive. They were proactive and getting it out for into the public.

That's not panic. That's not performance. That's not public relations. That's proactive leadership. That is why I am raising the issue now before a final project, before a final vote, before a final headline. Because the best time to protect residents is before the deal is already moving. Listen early, see the pattern, ask the hard questions, act before residents pay the price. That is my standard. That's always been my standard. That is the campaign standard that you all have been seeing. That is the definition of growth with purpose. Leadership with standards. And on this issue, the standard is clear. Do not rebrand the risk. Answer the questions.

Do not soften the language. Show the ledger. Do not give private interests clarity before residents get clarity. Hampton belongs to the people who live here. and the people who live here deserve the truth before they are asked to live with the consequences. I am Aaron Thomas Weaver. This is part one. In part two, I'm going to break down the state level fight over the data center uh tax breaks, why Richmond is fighting over the issue and why Hampton residents should care before the next local proposal appears. But for Hampton, the standard starts right here. Public clarity before private momentum. Resident first growth with purpose. This