Copper Ridge Goes to First Public Hearing

Posted on by Sarah Parmelee

The following text was sent out via email on July 14, 2023. Sign up for PEC email alerts →

aerial of a neatly manicured cemetery located alone a road, surrounded by green plots of land buffered by trees
The Copper Ridge data center campus would be located directly adjacent to Culpeper National Cemetery, a sacred and solemn resting place for over 7,500 veterans.

Dear Supporter,

I’d like to once again encourage you to attend the upcoming public hearing on the Copper Ridge data center rezoning. This will be the first public hearing for the proposal, so public input is critical.

Town Planning Commission Public Hearing

Tuesday, July 18 at 6 p.m.
Culpeper Economic Development Center
803 S Main St, Culpeper, VA 22701

Since the time of my last email, many of you have written to the Town Planning Commission — thank you! We’ve already won several important concessions from the developer thanks to citizen involvement, including increased setbacks and a reduction in allowable noise levels.

However, if approved, Copper Ridge still stands to have a serious and permanent impact on the Culpeper National Cemetery, an irreplaceable resource for local veterans and their families, and on the homes of nearby residents such as:

  • Noise pollution in an otherwise quiet and peaceful space;
  • Industrialization of views from the Southeast Historic District, the Culpeper National Cemetery, and the Culpeper Historic District; and
  • Cumulative impacts to our electric grid and potential pollution from backup generators.
Map showing the proximity of the proposed Copper Ridge Data Center Campus to downtown Culpeper, the National Cemetery, and approved/existing data centers and energy infrastructure. Credit Watsun Randolph/PEC

If you share our concerns about the appropriateness of this site, so close to residential neighborhoods and the cemetery, please consider making your voice heard at the public hearing on Tuesday. It truly makes a difference when residents fill seats and take up floor time.

If you are unable to attend the hearing, you can still submit comments to the Town Planning and Zoning Department. 

Write the Town →

Please reach out if you have questions; I hope to see you there!

Sarah Parmelee
Culpeper Land Use Representative
sparmelee@pecva.org
540-347-2334, ext. 7045