No Madison, there isn’t an approved data center being constructed in the county.
That was the gist of the beginning of the county’s economic development committee-hosted town hall meeting Tuesday, Aug. 12. Prior to the meeting, rumors ran rampant on social media that the town hall was a data center meeting to share information about an approved project that was being located in the county. Actually, the opposite proved to be true.
During the town hall, which was held in conjunction with the regularly scheduled board of supervisors meeting, economic development committee members said that while they had researched data centers, including a visit to a Manassas center, the facilities probably weren’t a good fit for the county.
Supervisor and committee member Jud Buchanan said the county doesn’t have the electricity or water needed to power a large facility such as those locating in Northern Virginia. He said the companies behind those hyperscale facilities don’t just want one building, but rather a campus of five to seven buildings. He said a small scale, micro or edge facility could be a fit for the county. These smaller facilities fit into a building the size of the former Box In, Box Out building on U.S. 29. Because of their size, micro or edge facilities have less of an impact on the surrounding area.
County resident Clint Hyde said he’s working on a small scale data center project in Harrisonburg, with something similar being a possibility in Madison County. He said the project would utilize an existing building, have to be located near U.S. 29 for fiber capabilities and use a closed-loop water system similar to that of an automobile.
However, Dr. Robert Malone, also a county resident, cautioned against data centers. He suggested working to maintain the county’s rural character without having to look to industrial data centers as revenue sources. Residents Robert Wright, II, Dana Squire, Peter Rice and Mike Sharman agreed.
However, county resident Albert Yowell said he didn’t mind a data center if it meant lower taxes.
Many at the meeting pointed to tourism as being a way to increase county revenue.
“Agritourism is a huge opportunity that is just a perfect fit for us,” Malone said. “I strongly encourage the county to think hard in doing what it can to invest in agritourism. It’s our special, unique advantage. We’re sitting right in the center of what gave rise to this country and we ought to feature it and capitalize on it.”
Felix Schapiro, who purchased the Criglersville Elementary School and is planning to turn it into a boutique hotel, agreed, but cautioned that the county residents have to be accepting of agritourism ideas.
“What Madison has is what the market wants,” he said. “There are ample opportunities to court the right development at the right scale, but [developers] want to see a receptive and willing community that is willing to work with them and are open to doing what needs to be done where it will warmly be received.”
The economic development committee also researched warehouses and the county continues to promote existing spaces that are available including a portion of the former Plow and Hearth facility.
Regardless of what the county ultimately decides to pursue, it’s clear that something has to be done. Supervisor and committee member Jim Jewett said the county has to conservatively approach economic development in a way that will enhance the taxbase. Using projections, Jewett said the county’s spending increases will begin to accelerate significantly faster than the revenue increases in fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The county budget is largely funded through real estate taxes. With no other increases in local taxes, Jewett said the real estate rate would need to increase from the current $0.51 per $100 of assessed value to $0.75 per $100 of assessed value by fiscal year 2030 to cover expenses.
“That’s a huge jump,” Jewett said. “Not many people are going to be able to afford that.”
The economic development committee will continue its work, pursuing manufacturing leads, working to expand tourism and researching micro or edge data center opportunities. Work is also ongoing to upgrade the wastewater treatment plan by 2027 targeting increased capacity to assist with economic development along the U.S. 29 corridor. Economic development committee meetings are open to the public and are announced on the county website at www.madisonco.virginia.gov. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. at 414 N. Main Street, Madison.
