Tract planning 872-acre data center campus in Goochland

Denver-based data center developer Tract has proposed a 900-megawatt data center campus in eastern Goochland County, the first project to come forward under the county’s newly created Technology Overlay District.

Tract filed a pre-application for a conditional use permit for the project, called “Tuckahoe Technology Park,” on June 10. The company plans to develop an 872-acre data center campus across 13 parcels under contract, east of Hockett Road and northwest of the intersection of Patterson Avenue and Route 288.

While the exact number of buildings has not been disclosed, project documents state that buildings generally would be limited to 60 feet in height, with one development area allowing buildings up to 80 feet tall. Those taller buildings would be required to be set back at least 500 feet from residential and agriculturally zoned properties.

In its pre-application, Tract said the campus would build on prior investment in West Creek and complement Eli Lilly and Co.’s planned $5 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility nearby. Lilly is expected to complete the plant over the next three to five years, creating 650 permanent jobs and supporting approximately 1,800 construction jobs, although it appears little construction has started on the site.

Tract wrote that Tuckahoe Technology Park would “contribute to making this area into a modern technology hub that delivers sustained fiscal, employment and infrastructure benefits to Goochland County and its residents for decades to come.”

Tract projects the campus would generate more than $400 million in real estate tax revenue during its first 20 years of operation. The company also estimates the project would produce more than $600 million in business personal property tax revenue over the same period.

The company further estimates the development would generate more than $270 million for the Tuckahoe Creek Service District and more than $500 million for Goochland County through sales taxes associated with over $3 billion in construction spending. Those projections assume the state’s data center sales tax exemption will sunset in 2035, as currently scheduled.

Tract estimates that the project would create more than 1,200 largely trade-related construction jobs over the five- to seven-year construction period. Once operational, the campus is expected to support more than 350 permanent positions, including facilities maintenance, security, janitorial, technical and operations roles.

Tract did not say when it will file its application or when the matter will likely go before the county planning commission. It also did not disclose how many individual data center buildings are currently envisioned at full buildout, or whether it’s developing the park for a specific customer.

“We are in the very early stages of the public process for this property,” Tract director of Entitlements Kara Bowyer said in an email. “As we move through that process, and additional details become available, we will be able to provide more information.”

If the project moves forward, it will be the first data center project to be built in the county’s new Technology Overlay District (TOD). In November 2025, the Goochland County Board of Supervisors approved the TOD and accompanying Technology Zone to attract data center and other high-tech investment to the eastern part of the county while imposing standards for setbacks, buffering, noise and design. County officials said the district is intended to diversify and strengthen the tax base while minimizing impacts on nearby neighborhoods and preserving Goochland’s rural character.

Under the ordinance, data centers would be permitted by right within most of the district, excluding its western portion, although utilities such as gas peaker plants or small modular nuclear reactors would require conditional use permits. The ordinance also includes provisions intended to reduce noise and pollution and to prevent buildings from being visible at ground level.

The TOD drew backlash from dozens of residents who raised concerns about potential noise and environmental impacts associated with data centers.

The district is the subject of a lawsuit filed by four residents, who allege the county violated state law by failing to properly identify the properties that would be affected and by adopting a measure that differed from what appeared in published notices. A hearing on the county’s request to dismiss the lawsuit is scheduled for Oct. 20.

According to Tract, the project would be served by multiple on-site substations connected to nearby high-voltage transmission lines. It would require extensions to public water infrastructure along Hockett Road. The company estimates that average water demand could range from 25,000 to 600,000 gallons per day.