Botetourt board to create commission to assess Google data center project

On Tuesday, the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 to create an independent commission to conduct a comprehensive assessment of a proposed $3 billion Google data center campus and its potential effects on the county.

However, the vocal majority of residents attending Tuesday’s meeting preferred that the board allow the Planning Commission to conduct the assessment on the data center campus planned for a 312-acre parcel at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield.

“You’re toast!” one audience member shouted after the vote.

“This is your legacy!” shouted another.

“You’re going to get a top-quality independent study,” Supervisor Brandon Nicely interjected over numerous jeers. “You’re going to get it. I promise.”

Tuesday’s tense meeting followed a July 1 editorial to The Fincastle Herald, a local weekly newspaper, by Botetourt County Planning Commissioner Mark Tyson. He wrote that he was concerned about public disharmony over the proposed Google data center campus and that the July Planning Commission meeting would discuss the structure for an “investigative water hearing.”

However, on July 3, Botetourt County issued a press release stating that the Planning Commission “does not have the legal authority to independently convene or direct public hearings.”

A heated July 13 Planning Commission meeting resulted in commissioners voting to recommend that the Board of Supervisors direct the commission to organize a meeting to discuss topics related to the county’s water supply and other issues related to the data center campus planned at Botetourt Center at Greenfield.

At Tuesday’s meeting, more than two dozen residents spoke about the proposed Google data center campus, and many specifically objected to the creation of an independent commission selected by the Board of Supervisors.

“I respectfully request that the board authorize the Planning Commission to develop the scope, purpose and objectives of this effort, and to oversee the selection of any commission members and outside subject matter experts,” said Delta Dental of Virginia CEO Frank Lucia, who said he owns property adjacent to the proposed data center campus. “After all, it was the Planning Commission that demonstrated leadership in advancing a proposal, since the board has failed to act on feedback from residents for months.”

Supervisor Linda Rottman also argued that the Planning Commission should lead the review. Rottman, who represents the county’s Buchanan district, was elected in November 2025, following a June 2025 announcement that Google had purchased 312 acres at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield for $14 million.

“Given the sentiment of the people, the reality of this situation, the fact that the Planning Commission [members] are the only people who have pursued this water study, who are pursuing an in-depth investigation of the water of our county, I do not see that … we could possibly supplant the Planning Commission and appoint a citizen commission to conduct the study instead,” she said. “I just think it would be a gigantic middle finger to every person in this county.”

Spilman Thomas & Battle attorney Mike Lockaby, who serves as the county’s attorney, noted that Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, which means local governments can only exercise authority granted by the state.

“Both the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission need to follow the rules that the General Assembly has set out for us,” he said. “And part of the reason I believe why staff suggested an independent commission is that pursuant to state law, the ability to carry out investigations is lodged in the Board of Supervisors.”

Supervisor Tim Snyder, who also was elected in November 2025, suggested Rottman lacked the mettle to conduct an investigation herself.

“Oh, for crying out loud! I’m not afraid to do the work,” she said. “You were on the Planning Commission when Google was approved.”

Snyder clarified that while he sat on the Planning Commission, he voted for a text amendment to the Botetourt County Zoning Ordinance to incorporate the uses of greenways, trails and data centers to land zoned for Research and Advanced Manufacturing Use.

“At no time did I make a vote for this data center,” he said. “So whether or not I would have had an opportunity to move that negotiation …  will never be known … but I am here today … and it could be just this term. I’ll be okay with that. But the fact remains, I am working for an unbiased solution.”

Ultimately, Rottman was the only supervisor to vote against creating the independent commission. Chair Mac Scothorn was absent Tuesday while on vacation, according to a county spokesperson.

The five-member commission will evaluate the potential effects of the proposed data center campus on the county’s environment, infrastructure, utility resources and quality of life. Members, who will be selected by the Board of Supervisors, cannot have affiliations with Botetourt County government or financial interests in Google, the data center industry or organizations directly involved in the project. The commission will have six months to complete its work.

Google did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Last week, Google announced the first building at the future campus would use air-cooling technology.