I’d like to thank our local journalism community for pointing out the environmental and other consequences of the data center transformation of PWC. In case you have not seen it, below is a link to an important article that shows how other communities worldwide protect their residents.
As you may know, I have sent three email requests to the Planning Office, the Planning Commission and the Board of County Supervisors asking them to provide a comprehensive set of maps and charts that show the actual number of data center buildings that are under construction, approved for construction, have zoning approval, or are seeking zoning approval. I would even settle for someone in the planning office setting up a realistic LEGO display.
I am alarmed that citizens of Gainesville/Haymarket/Bristow have no idea how many data centers have already been approved near their homes and schools, and how many more the two biggest projects to date – Devlin Technology Park and the PW Digital Gateway will add if they pass.
The question is as to whether the lack of easy-to-understand pictures, maps and charts is a deliberate effort to keep the community from understanding the scope and magnitude of what has already been approved in order to create less controversy for upcoming approvals.
To date, the only response I have received from PWC officials was the attached “dot” map sent to me about a week ago. I call it a “dot” map because it shows the same dot whether it is a single small data center vs. a campus of 10 hyperscale data centers.
Does anyone believe the attached map, the only map the County makes available to describe data center zoning, appropriately describes the massive transformation happening to our County? Would anyone looking at that map understand what will be happening to our environment and the safety of our citizens?
Does it show how many data centers will be within 1 mile of Gainesville High School (it is now over 20).
I calculate that the density of data centers zoned around Gainesville HS is more than 10X the density of data centers in the Overlay District. If you have recently driven around 234, near I-66/ Gainesville Crossing or the Hornbaker area, you will understand that at 10 X the density of construction, this residential area will be unlivable.
We are dooming 6000 schoolchildren to attend schools that will be engulfed by construction of a data center city for what may end up being the entire time of their attendance. Being around construction noise and pollution for this many years could result in serious physical and stress-related problems for these children.
That is why we need a holistic map. Or a LEGO model. We need to alert the citizens that there will be serious problems and we need to alert them as to how PWC will address those problems. Please note that the risks for children are much higher because unlike adults who may leave for work during the day when construction is most active, kids are around the neighborhood almost all the time.
https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/facebook/hyperscale-data-centers-under-fire-holla
Once again, thank you for your efforts and. my deep appreciation for local journalism.
Ally
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Ally Stoeger OD
Health & Safety Committee of the HOA Roundtable
