A developer is seeking the option to pivot a planned industrial campus outside Richmond, Virginia, for data centers.
First reported by Richmond Bizsense, WestDulles Properties has filed for zoning approval with Hanover County for the Iron Horse Business Park, a 230-acre site split about 60-40 between Ashland and Hanover. Hanover is located around 25 miles north of Richmond.
While the project has been in the planning stage for several years as an industrial and commercial park, WestDulles is seeking an option to pivot the site to a data center campus.
The latest proposal features two potential development plans for the site. One is for a 1.9 million sq ft (176,000 sqm) industrial park spanning around a dozen buildings. The project would include office retail space, industrial warehouse space, hotel space, and residential dwellings.
The other proposed option – an alternative concept not included in the original zoning proposal filed in 2022 or a revised application filed in March 2023 – is for a data center campus spanning 2.5-three million square feet (232,260 to 278,710 sqm) across 10 to 12 buildings, as well as an on-site substation.
“We will go in one direction or the other,” Wells said. “The data center (industry) is something our company has been involved in for many years in Northern Virginia, since the late ’90s.”
Zoning approvals from both localities are still needed, and next month the proposal is expected to come before the Ashland Planning Commission, WestDulles CEO Eric Wells said.
The site is bordered by E. Patrick Henry Road/Route 54 to the north and Mount Hermon Road to the west.
The Hanover Planning Commission is expected to vote on whether to recommend final approval in July, and the Board of Supervisors will make a final decision after that.
WestDulles owns the majority of the project site, which is near the Interstate 95 interchange with Route 54. Land for the proposed residential development is owned by Harris & Douglas Properties LLC, which would retain ownership and develop the homes.
While Northern Virginia is the data center capital of the world, the Richmond area is also home to a number of projects. Other data center developments recently proposed around the Richmond area include the 2.4GW Tract data center on 1,200 acres in Hanover County for which zoning has been approved. Chirisa is also planning additional data centers at Meadowville Technology Park in Chesterfield. California-based Province Group is looking to develop a $3 billion data center campus outside Richmond in Powhatan County.
Founded in 1985, WestDulles Properties is a commercial real estate development and investment company active in commercial and industrial markets across Virginia.
