Data center coverage in Botetourt County, Virginia
5 headlines archived for Botetourt County — no documented moratorium or ban on file here yet. See the moratorium tracker for towns that have taken formal action, or the full story tracker to browse every place we're following.
The project on the table
Google Botetourt (Botetourt Center at Greenfield) — Approved
Operator: Google · Owner: Google · Acres: 312
312 acres bought from the county for $14.06M (Jun 20, 2025) plus $4M in grants; performance agreement approved by the EDA Jun 20 and the Board of Supervisors Jun 24, 2025. First building due 2028; first-building cooling announced as air-cooled after a fight over drawing from Carvins Cove. A board-appointed water study commission (Jul 28, 2026, 3-1) reports within six months. Grading permit issued Aug 2026.
Next: Approved — pivot from stopping it to a binding CBA: enforceable caps on noise, water and cost, plus a community benefit.
Latest in the record
- 2026-08-28 — The county issued Google a Land Disturbance Permit allowing phased grading of the 312-acre site. · source
- 2026-07-28 — Supervisors voted 3-1 to create a five-member, board-appointed commission — no Google or county affiliation — to study the data center's impact on regional water resources within six months. Supervisor Linda Rottman dissented, calling it 'a gigantic middle finger to everyone in the crowd.' · source
- 2025-06-24 — Board of Supervisors approved the performance agreement: construction of the first data center to start in 2026 and the first building fit for occupancy in 2028, with a grant whenever Google's business personal property tax exceeds an effective $2.40 per $100. · source
- 2025-06-20 — Google closed on 312 acres at Botetourt Center at Greenfield for $14,055,406 ($45,000/acre) and committed $4M in grants to county projects over five years; the Economic Development Authority approved the performance agreement the same day. · source
- 2024-11-26 — Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission, in a joint public hearing, unanimously approved a zoning ordinance text amendment defining data centers and permitting them in the Research and Advanced Manufacturing (RAM) district — the only zoning in the county that allows one. · source
Full dated timeline on the project tracker.
Source. Read 2026-09-05.
What's been reported
5 stories tracked since 2026-02-26 across 4 outlets. 2× A community is pushing back on a nearby data center. 2× Water use for cooling is straining the local supply. Most recent: “New details emerge about Botetourt grid upgrades for Google data center” (Cardinal News, 2026-09-16).
- New details emerge about Botetourt grid upgrades for Google data center
- Roanoke Valley Field Notes: Google gets permit to begin grading for Botetourt County data center
- Opponents respond to grading green-light for Google data center in Botetourt County
- Botetourt County Planning Commission split on water pipeline permit amid Google data center concerns
- Google data center water estimates go public, residents in Roanoke and Botetourt react
Automated news aggregation, not human-verified — follow each link to the original outlet. Part of the story tracker, 5 headlines archived.
Where the decision gets made
Board of Supervisors — Zoning and land use; approved the Nov 2024 ordinance permitting data centers in the RAM district and the Jun 2025 Google performance agreement; created a five-member water study commission Jul 28, 2026 (3-1).
Meets: 4th Tuesday of each month, 2:00 p.m.
Where: Botetourt County Administration Center, 57 S Center Drive, Daleville, VA 24083
Public comment: Speak in person (3-minute limit), mail comments to 57 South Center Drive, Suite 200, Daleville, VA 24083, or use the online Citizen Comment Form; written comments must arrive by 9:00 a.m. on meeting day to enter the minutes. Livestream is view-only. Deputy Clerk Celeste Parker, 540-928-2006.
540-928-2006 · website
Read from the official page on 2026-09-05. Meeting details change — confirm before you go.
Who votes on it
| Name | Role | Phone | Recorded stance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. "Mac" Scothorn | Chair | — | 540-928-2006 | not recorded |
| Brandon Nicely | Vice-Chair | — | 540-928-2006 | not recorded |
| Walter Michael | Supervisor | — | 540-928-2006 | not recorded |
| Linda Rottman | Supervisor | — | 540-928-2006 | Lone no vote on the Jul 28, 2026 Google water study commission, calling it 'a gigantic middle finger to everyone in the crowd' (WDBJ7) |
| Tim Snyder | Supervisor | — | 540-928-2006 | not recorded |
From the locality's own roster page; "not recorded" means no public statement is on file, not neutrality.
What to do next
- Questions to ask at the hearing — force specific answers onto the record.
- Estimate the impact — electricity, water, and rate pressure for any facility size in Virginia.
- Model CBA clauses — copy-paste language communities have actually won.
- Virginia briefing — rates, grid carbon, PUC contacts, and every fight in the state.
Part of the story tracker — automated news aggregation, CC BY 4.0.