August 26, 2026 Planning Commission Meeting, August 26, 2026

What happened

The Stafford County Planning Commission recommended approval of the Accokeek Center project — a rezoning of approximately 120.88 acres at the west side of Richmond Highway (~2,500 feet north of Eskimo Hill Road) from A-1, A-2, and B-3 to M-2 with proffers, plus a comprehensive pl…

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Accokeek Center Zoning Reclassification (A-1/A-2/B-3 to M-2) for data center campus

Rezoning of approximately 120.88 acres on the west side of Richmond Highway (~2,500 feet north of Eskimo Hill Road) from A-1 Agricultural, A-2 Rural Residential, and B-3 Office to M-2 Heavy Industrial with proffers, to permit a data center campus with two buildings totaling 590,000 sq ft (down from three buildings/690,000 sq ft in April) and an electric substation. Applicant Falmouth Tech LLC, represented by Charlie Payne with Hirschler. Anticipated power demand 122 MW; ~$13.5M annual tax revenue at buildout. Modified setbacks requested (750 ft reduced to 550/399 ft in some locations; buffers reduced to 60 ft along I-95 and ~40-47 ft at emergency access). Motion by Commissioner Oates, seconded by Commissioner Bratton. Passed 4-3 (Cottle and Barnes among those opposed).

• Property developed in general conformance with GDP
• limit development to data center and accessory uses only
• max 590,000 sq ft and 65-foot building height
• minimum 40% open space
• reduced vegetative buffers as depicted on GDP
• tree preservation areas with 1.5x replanting requirement
• prohibit use of groundwater for data center operations
• require reuse water as sole primary cooling water source
• prohibit public or private potable water for industrial cooling
• provide written verification from electric utility regarding timing of power
• sound attenuation and mechanical screening per GDP
• Tier 4 generator standards
• AED in each building
• repair roadway damage from construction
• approval of emergency action plan prior to first CO
• max 443 vehicle trips per day
• 10-foot shared use path along Richmond Highway
• northbound left turn lane, southbound right turn, raised median
• right-of-way dedication up to 80 feet from centerline
• $50,000 transportation projects
• $1.5M courthouse renovation
• $1.25M technology infrastructure
• $1.65M Belmont Ferry Farm bike trail
• $1.5M new fire and rescue station
• $500,000 Central Rappahannock Regional Library

The other decisions are listed below by title. The full write-up, verbatim conditions, and the audio at each vote are in Pro.

Meeting Summary

The Stafford County Planning Commission recommended approval of the Accokeek Center project — a rezoning of approximately 120.88 acres at the west side of Richmond Highway (~2,500 feet north of Eskimo Hill Road) from A-1, A-2, and B-3 to M-2 with proffers, plus a comprehensive pl…

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Key Decisions (6)

Zoning Changes (2)

Development Activity (4)

Market Signals (6)

Who Spoke (38)

ZoneWire called 2 of 2 land-use forecasts on this agenda.

This season: 11 of 11 (100%) forecasts called in this county.

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