Data center near Etheridge (Centerville Turnpike)
Also called: Etheridge Lakes Data Center
A local developer wanted a two-story, 350,000-square-foot data center near the Etheridge neighborhood. Residents raised worries about water, noise and tax breaks. The city said no, and later paused all new data center requests.
Where things stand: Planning commission voted no in May 2025; City Council rejected the rezoning in June 2025.
🕒 Latest update (July 21, 2026): City Council paused new data center applications for up to eight months.
What we know
- 📍 WhereCenterville Turnpike at Etheridge Manor Boulevard (Great Bridge area), Chesapeake, Chesapeake city
- 🏢 CompanyDoug Fuller (local developer)
- 🌳 Size23 acres
- 👷 Jobs promised50
What happened so far
- April 2025City Council voted to remove zoning restrictions on the property.
- May 14, 2025The planning commission voted 6-1 against the 350,000-square-foot data center.
- June 17, 2025City Council rejected the data center.
- July 21, 2026City Council paused new data center applications for up to eight months.
Local votes and rules
🗺️ Zoning change
City council unanimously ended 'by-right' data centers, so every data center now needs a public approval. It also banned data centers from using groundwater and removed the Fentress airfield overlay area as an option. Setback and noise rules were put off for later.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
City council voted 9-0 to stop considering data center rezonings and conditional use permits for up to 8 months, or until it adopts a data center policy.
✋ Turned down
City council voted 7-0 to reject a 350,000-square-foot, two-story data center at Etheridge Manor Boulevard and Centerville Turnpike. Residents worried about noise from generators and cooling, and about water and power use.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Planning Commission recommends against Great Bridge data center · Yahoo News (syndicated) · May 14, 2025
- Chesapeake's planning commission says no to data center proposal · WHRO · May 15, 2025
- Chesapeake City Council approves 8-month hold on data center applications · WHRO · July 22, 2026
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