In August 2025, Chesterfield County, Virginia published a press release announcing that Google would be constructing three hyperscale data center campuses in the county, covering more than 1,500 acres and located within approximately 3 miles of an estimated 57,000 residents. [<a href="https://www.chesterfield.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6383" target="_blank"><ins>1</ins></a> , <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/11/17/google-chesterfield-county-virginia-data-center-plans" target="_blank"><ins>2</ins></a><ins>,</ins><ins> 3]</ins>&nbsp;
This announcement came a full seven years after Chesterfield County officials signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with Google, obscuring the deal from taxpayers until years of negotiations were already completed, the land was already sold, and a 30-year tax break had already been granted. [<a href="https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/11/11/google-files-plans-for-first-data-center-facilities-in-eastern-chesterfield/" target="_blank"><ins>4</ins></a>, <a href="https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/google-advancing-project-peanut/" target="_blank">5</a>] 
You deserve to have a say in the future of your community. Data centers will permanently change the landscape, cost of living, human health, and quality of life in our county. Chesterfield County is moving forward on multiple new data center developments without meaningfully consulting with its residents or adequately addressing the consequences for water, air quality, utility costs, and property values. 
Tell the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors and the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority that we demand: 
1) Full transparency and public disclosure of all previous and future negotiations, agreements, and financial commitments with data center developers; 
2) Meaningful community input, including a community information meeting followed by a public hearing and open comment period; and, 
3) An end to county engagement in NDAs. 
These three conditions must be met before any further decisions or approvals on data centers are made. &nbsp;
Remind Chesterfield County officials: Their responsibility is to you, not Google.


Sources: 
[1] Chesterfield on Point (2025, August 8). In Google, Chesterfield landed the ‘Rolls-Royce of data center operators’. <a href="https://www.chesterfield.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6383" target="_self"><ins>https://www.chesterfield.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6383</ins></a>
[2] Karri Peifer (2025, November 17). Here are the plans for Google’s Chesterfield data center campus. Axios Richmond. <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/11/17/google-chesterfield-county-virginia-data-center-plans" target="_self"><ins>https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/11/17/google-chesterfield-county-virginia-data-center-plans</ins></a>
[3] Estimates based on block level census 2020, within 3 miles of the edge of each data center parcel. 
[4] Jack Jacobs (2025, November 11). Google files plans for first data center facilities in eastern Chesterfield. Richmond BizSense. <a href="https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/11/11/google-files-plans-for-first-data-center-facilities-in-eastern-chesterfield/" target="_self"><ins>https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/11/11/google-files-plans-for-first-data-center-facilities-in-eastern-chesterfield/</ins></a>
[5] Sara Molina (2025, December 23). ‘We don’t have a lot of information’: Google advances Chesterfield data center amid concern from residents, researchers. ABC 8News. <a href="https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/google-advancing-project-peanut/" target="_self"><ins>https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/google-advancing-project-peanut/</ins></a> &nbsp;

Tell Chesterfield County Officials: No Secret Data Center Deals 

In August 2025, Chesterfield County published a press release announcing that Google would be constructing three hyperscale data center campuses in the county, amounting to more than 1,500 acres and multiple new data center buildings. [1, 2] 

Construction on these centers and supporting infrastructure (including highway extensions, high voltage power lines, and permitting on a gas plant) has already begun. 

Collectively, these data center campuses would be located within approximately 3 miles of an estimated 57,000 residents. [3]  

Chesterfield County did not meaningfully consult with its citizens about this incoming data center development. Residents were not provided with sufficient information and, in limited public meetings, questions were left largely unanswered or unaddressed.

Instead of allowing for transparent community engagement, the August announcement came after the land had already been sold to Google. It came after the county had signed a 30-year agreement granting Google a data center equipment tax rate 12 times less than the state average, minimizing potential to generate funds for essential public services. [4, 5] 

And it came a full seven years after Chesterfield County officials signed a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) with Google, obscuring the deal from taxpayers until years of negotiations were already completed. [6] 

This lack of transparency is not a one time offense; it’s an ongoing pattern. Chesterfield County is moving forward on a number of new data center developments  - including as many as six new Chirisa data centers in addition to their two sites already in operation -  without meaningfully engaging the community or adequately addressing the implications of these build-outs. [7]  

Because of Google’s NDA, there is little publicly available information on: 

- Google’s projected water usage, and where it will be sourced from. 
- Projected energy demand. 
- Projected impact on residents’ utility costs and property values. 
- Projected health impacts (including air pollution, water pollution, chemical pollution, and noise pollution). 
- Projected consequences to agriculture and biodiversity loss from the destruction of surrounding forests and wetlands. 

We deserve to have a say in the future of our community. Hyperscale data centers will permanently change the landscape, cost of living, human health, and quality of life in our county. 

We demand that the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors, Chair Dr. Mark Miller, his fellow supervisors, and the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority provide:  

1) Full transparency and public disclosure of all previous and future negotiations, agreements, and financial commitments with Google and any other data center developers; 
2) Meaningful opportunity for community input, including a community information meeting followed by a public hearing and open comment period; and, 
3) An end to county engagement in NDAs. 

These three conditions must be met before any further decisions or approvals on data centers are made.  

Chesterfield County Officials: Remember that your responsibility is to your constituents, not Google. 





Sources: 

[1] Chesterfield on Point (2025, August 8). In Google, Chesterfield landed the ‘Rolls-Royce of data center operators’. https://www.chesterfield.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/6383

[2] Karri Peifer (2025, November 17). Here are the plans for Google’s Chesterfield data center campus. Axios Richmond. https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2025/11/17/google-chesterfield-county-virginia-data-center-plans

[3] Estimates based on block level census 2020, within 3 miles of the edge of each data center parcel. 

[4] Jack Jacobs (2025, November 11). Google files plans for first data center facilities in eastern Chesterfield. Richmond BizSense. https://richmondbizsense.com/2025/11/11/google-files-plans-for-first-data-center-facilities-in-eastern-chesterfield/

[5] Natalie Anderson (April 30, 2026). Chesapeake considering tax rate increase, zoning changes for future data center projects. The Virginian-Pilot. https://tinyurl.com/yc6254hr

[6] Sara Molina (2025, December 23). ‘We don’t have a lot of information’: Google advances Chesterfield data center amid concern from residents, researchers. ABC 8News. https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/google-advancing-project-peanut/

[7] Data Center Map. Chirisa - Data Center Locations. Retrieved May 18, 2026, from https://www.datacentermap.com/c/chirisa/