City Council vote adds Virginia Beach to the growing list of Virginia localities to take action against data centers, strengthening the case for a statewide moratorium

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — The Virginia Beach City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday night to enact a one-year moratorium on large and hyperscale data center permits. This decision makes the Virginia Beach City Council the third city in Hampton Roads to take action locally and comes as calls for a statewide moratorium on data center development grow across Virginia. This moratorium underscores the growing demand for localities to take action on data centers as a result of lawmakers failing to enact stronger safeguards during this year’s General Assembly session.

Following widespread public concern over a potential data center proposal, the Virginia Beach City Council directed staff in June to develop regulations prohibiting new data center development. City staff advised that permanent restrictions would require additional time and are expected to return for consideration in October. In the meantime, this moratorium will halt new data center development applications, preventing projects from moving forward before those long-term protections are in place.

“This moratorium will protect Virginia Beach residents from seeing new data center developments come in while there are effectively no state protections in place,” said Michelle Ueltschi, Hampton Roads Organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund. “I am excited to see how the Virginia Beach City Council uses this time to protect its residents from the negative impacts of this fast-expanding industry. Virginia Beach’s action shows that local leaders across the Commonwealth can and should pause data center development until strong, enforceable protections are in place.”

Virginia Beach’s moratorium follows growing regional scrutiny of data center development, as nearby localities like Suffolk and Chesapeake are weighing similar policies, with Chesapeake passing an eight-month moratorium last month. Virginia Beach’s action reflects mounting pressure for a statewide pause on new data centers as communities confront the industry’s fast expansion and its consequences. CCAN Action Fund and partner organizations are calling on state lawmakers to temporarily halt new approvals while Virginia establishes clear, enforceable standards to protect communities, ensure clean air and water are not compromised, and prevent cost-shifting to residential ratepayers.

# # #

Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) Action Fund is dedicated to driving change in public policies at the local, state and national level to address the climate crisis. Through voter education, lobbying, and participation in the electoral process, we seek to advance our country’s leadership in the global movement towards clean energy solutions — focusing our efforts primarily in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. We know that a vibrant democracy is central to our success so we work to defend democratic integrity wherever we can.