Piedmont Environmental Council Public Meeting Part II, To Review or Not to Review, that IS the Question

CRITICAL UPDATE - Albemarle County staff is going to recommend to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) to "pause" the data center ordinance proposal and keep it as is until at least end end of the year. This doesn't mean that the BOS has to accept this recommendation but historically it is given great weight in their decision making. Please continue to express your thoughts with the current BOS and attend meetings. Several crucial changes will be taking place this January: 1) two new BOS members begin their term 2) a new state Governor. 

Continuing on... Part II of a summary provided by Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) at their recent public meeting at The Center in Charlottesville to discuss Virginia data centers. PEC operates in central Virginia supporting the following communities; Albemarle / Cville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock. Their mission is to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. Some of the jurisdictions they support are the fastest growing in the nation where data center expansion is becoming a central issue. 

To Review or Not to Review, that IS the Question! Below is a summary of the PEC presentation given by Land Use and Policy staff members Julie Bolthouse and Rob McGinnis with some "eye-popping" announcements of future planned land developments for Albemarle County.

How did Virginia become the data center capital of the world? The main buildout is in Northern Virginia (NOVA) with 250 data centers utilizing 30 million square feet, with an additional 6 million under construction. The current administration has publicly announced the US-China AI race by removing regulations and encouraging buildouts. NOVA is near to our federal government and defense with extensive infrastructure available but our state also provides many incentives and cheap energy pricing exclusively for data centers. 

Currently the biggest corporations of the world are not paying for infrastructure buildout to service their data centers, WE ARE. On your electric bill there is a transmission fee that pays for this infrastructure (which can easily increase with each planned data center). Data Centers are a quarter of the Dominion Energy client base and are given incentives to build in Virginia through better utility rates and the largest sales tax exemption in the state, not to mention no comprehensive oversight.

There is no comprehensive law or plans at the state level managing our data centers which are beginning to rapidly trickle down from NOVA to the rest of the state. Until state level laws are instituted to review data center projects, the only point in the process that a locality has to accept or decline a data center project is by requiring a Special Use Permit that requires it be reviewed by the public, Planning Commission, and BOS. 

In 2023, there was no mention of data centers in the Albemarle County code but after the PEC questioned this omission, a stop gap measure was soon approved that required a Special Use Permit for data centers over 40,000 square feet, the BOS is considering to allow "by right" up to 500,000 square feet. That would rubber stamp a data center the size of the 5th Street Station retail complex that houses Wegmans and other retail businesses and a data center that size could consume 50 - 100 megawatts of power, the equivalent of 10,000 - 20,000 homes.  

Currently the county has small accessory data centers (an equipment room inside a hospital or at UVA, or inside a business). The county is reviewing their existing ordinance to add performance standards and size overlay Tiers for "by right" builds at 150,000 and 500,000 square feet. 

PEC explains that a data center above 200,000 square feet would be classified as hyperscale and is worrisome due to the need for more resources to operate (read Part I of my summary, What does a Data Center Need to Operate). 

Louisa, the county next door to Albemarle has approved two hyperscale data center projects that are millions of square feet each. When a third was proposed the community spoke our loudly about another data center and soon their ordinance was changed. Louisa and Loudon Counties, after rubber stamping data center projects, have both put on the brakes by changing their hyperscale sized data center ordinance from "by right" to Special Use Permit. 

One might fear that Albemarle is falling behind but two recent mega scale economic development projects are in the works that would sandwich the City of Charlottesville in the middle. 

Rivanna Futures is a state supported and funded project near the existing NGIC Defense campus on 29N. This 8 mile area (from Greene to Albemarle) could realize a level of potential similar to Silicon Valley (data centers could be built here). Included in this area is a state effort to establish a Defense Corridor to run from Fauquier County to Charlottesville. This conglomerate of projects was described as beyond aspirational by PEC staff. 

There is also a plan to create Virginia's Research Triangle Park connecting the biotech industry from VT in Blacksburg to UVA in Charlottesville. AstraZeneca has announced it is opening a facility in Charlottesville and El Lilly nearby in Goochland.

It's obvious that citizens below the NOVA line do not want intense buildouts to start popping up in their communities and it's especially rotten if there is no transparency. The only entities that are privy to actual electric and water usage numbers are the data center, the State Corporate Commission (SCC) and Dominion Energy, while decision makers and the public at the local level are all left to ponder.

The next meeting concerning data centers in Albemarle County is the Planning Commission, October 14, 6pm.

~Rebecca

Piedmont Environmental Council Public Meeting Part I, What a Data Center needs to be Operational

Approximately 150 people attended the recent Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) public meeting at The Center in Charlottesville to discuss Virginia data centers. PEC operates in central Virginia supporting the following communities; Albemarle / Cville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock. Their mission is to protect and restore the lands and waters of the Virginia Piedmont, while building stronger, more sustainable communities. Some of the jurisdictions they support are the fastest growing in the nation where data center expansion is becoming a central issue. 

What does a data center need to be operational? Below is a summary of the PEC presentation given by Land Use and Policy staff members Julie Bolthouse and Rob McGinnis.

Every data center is different and has different requirements, none are alike. Currently the PEC is the only agency that tracks the buildout of data centers and today they have identified that our state is the data center capital of the world and has 3 times more data centers than the next largest on their list, Beijing, China. 

There are some common requirements for each data center: The need for exorbitant amounts of energy and water plus backup generators to keep equipment running 24/7. Infrastructure build out including electric power substations and rows of super sized transmission lines that are a blight to the landscape and could traverse through neighborhoods. Other structures onsite are water and gas holding tanks, rooftop cooling equipment, waste water pipelines and pump stations, and security fencing. 

Electronics naturally produce heat in order to operate. Larger systems require cooling equipment to remove heat to protect computers. Each of us has experienced cell phones, tablets, and computers generating heat. We've even heard a fan running on our desk top computer to remove the heat buildup. When electric systems fail or peak demand puts pressure on the system, back up generators must kick on to protect equipment and keep the data flowing night and day. 9,000 gas diesel data center generators are currently permitted in Virginia and the allowed run time is regulated by the EPA. Most of us have heard a neighbors small generator running during a power outage but a data center can have 20 - 40 train car sized diesel generators running 6 - 12 hours a day. The greater the concentration of data centers, the worse the air pollution and the greater the health impact. Computer systems, gas plants, and nuclear facilities are water cooled. Water usage that is not recycled and reused is consumptive which means it is lost as it evaporates into the air along with pollutants. When a closed loop system is used they too will experience water loss and diverting treated / recycled water can still impact local stream health.

Just one data center can consume a city worth of power. Racks and racks and rows and rows of computers need electricity to run. One Gigawatt (GW) of power requires one nuclear reactor to produce it. In Virginia it is estimated that 28 GW of power must be built out by 2039 to meet growing data center demand and to pay for it the average customer bill will increase by 125%. That level of power is equivalent to nearly 7,000,000 homes or 2,000 Walmart Supercenters. Dominion Energy, who operates in 20 states, has 47 GW under contract in Virginia alone to meet the explosive demand load. The electricity is dependent upon the delivery from out of state transmission lines; Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia and also gas pipeline routes that continually are being expanded deeper into the South and farther into the North. A gas plant in one community can be firing up a data center in another community. There is no other industry that demands this much energy other than possibly a steel mill. Dominion energy is applying for approval to use non-renewable sources (natural gas, coal, and reactors) to power this infrastructure. The current administration encourages dirty power which is often not compatible with meeting local renewal energy targets.

Next week I will blog about the impact of a recent ordinance proposal change in Albemarle County as presented by PEC.

~ Rebecca 

Albemarle County Data Center Work Session, Summary of each Board of Supervisor Comments

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors attended a work session on August 6, 2025 to discuss a proposed data center ordinance drafted by the Community Development Department. The lengthy discussion can be viewed online, section 1:42:00 - 3:50:40 in the video. In summary, this meeting generated a request by the board for staff to craft more options and alternatives to what was presented.

There will be a free community meeting hosted by The Piedmont Environmental Council at The Center on Tuesday, September 16 from 6-8, sign up in advance. On October 14, 6 pm the Planning Commission of Albemarle County will hold a public meeting to present the Data Center Ordinance. You may attend the meeting at Lane stadium or watch it on Zoom online. Public comments may be submitted by email, you may ask questions in person, via zoom, or by phone.

Staff began the work session with an overview of the new Tier 1 and Tier 2 zoning overlays which by definition are "by right" pre-approved without community discourse. Tier 1 is up to 125,000 square feet and Tier 2 would be up to 500,000 square feet. Current zoning allows up to 40,000 square feet in the industrial or commercial district with special use permit required if over that size. Building size comparison examples were presented: 40K - Whole Foods, 125K - Walmart / Costco, 500K - State Farm complex / Seminole Place plaza (largest complexes in county). Four specific Tier locations were identified on maps within existing Planned Development Areas (PDAs currently encompass 5% of the entire county). No ground water use or evaporative cooling systems would be permitted. Tax revenue would be generated from real estate (land / buildings) and tangible personal property (equipment / racks). It costs less to collect tax dollars from data centers than residential or commercial. Revenue dollars from data centers diversify the tax base. Staff has seen significant public interest in this proposal.

The following summarizes board members (BOS) comments and Q&A with staff:

BOS Mike Pruitt, Scottsville is deeply skeptical and uneasy with "by right"  (rubber stamp / pre-approval) for data centers. Historically he has been supportive of lower "by right" building sizes believing existing code of 40,000 square feet is too permissive and would like lower square foot designations for the proposed Tiers. Energy grid costs are being paid for by rate payers (his constituents - citizens and businesses). Suggested that future quantum computing technology developments will shrink the size of equipment and if centers are phased out, the rural centers away from NOVA would go first. Agrees that data centers can be a real revenue boon but are a destructive land use. The regulations proposed by staff are acceptable as but is concerned about 2 Tier locations as they are incompatible uses. The North Fork Tier designation is problematic because of the recent approval of housing in that area and the Pantops State Farm complex because it is near natural habitat trails and residential. Not supportive at all of any of the "by right" Tiers due to project scale. Staff confirmed no need for Tier overlays if "by right" text is removed.

BOS Ned Gallaway, Rio questioned water usage. Staff reported that those managing water say data centers consume equal to or less compared to typical like zoned buildings and that air/hybrid cooled can use even less. Staff discussed depreciating tangible tax dollars bring in more revenue in the first years of equipment purchase. He compared Tier 1 to the new Home Depot in size. Doesn't see that a data center is any different in equipment taxing than other businesses (referring to Martha Jefferson Hospital and Home Depot). More expensive for a project to apply for Special Use Permit vs defining "by right" Tiers. Believes data centers a way to generate taxes through diversification. Viability of data centers should not be a land use policy factor. Speaks of a limit to the size and does not see a 1,000,000 square feet facility fitting in our county. He sees the North Fork Tier designation as being divided into a southern section for residential development and a northern section industrial, appropriate for a data center which would not be any different than an office building project. He doesn't believe a data center replacing the vacant State Farm 400,000 square feet complex would be a detriment to natural areas. If thousands of employees were working there, the same impact would be felt from a 500,000 square feet data center and actually it would reduce the people impact as data centers don't require as many employees and would be a viable business not adding to the transportation woes. Would not have to raise the tax rate if we had data centers. Data Centers are within bounds of what we already allow for economic activity. Supports Tiers and where they have been identified to be located in the county.

BOS Bea Kirtley, Rivanna questioned what is the average utility bill increase from data centers in communities that have them and staff responded there is no data because the state does not publish it. Staff confirmed there is no direct county investment, just the normal site plan process such as storm water and utility improvements. Citizens are very unhappy with recent tax increase but they would be happy that the proposal does not permit the use of ground water that could impact the water table. Staff explained current industrial zoning adjacent to rural (includes residential) has a 50 feet setback and the Tier definitions require 200 feet. She would like it changed to 500 feet. Staff clarified that natural gas or tier 4 generator (diesel) is permitted. She questioned the proposed State Farm complex Tier as it is too close to residential. Staff has surveyed 19 data center properties outside of Albemarle and have distilled best practices incorporating lessons learned. She is requesting 3 Tiers be proposed, 125,000 / 250,000 / 500,000 square feet.

BOS Ann Mallek, White Hall precautionary approach because new to our county and we need to be very detailed oriented when writing the ordinance as little regulation exists. Loudon County is warning that a "by right" approach should never be undertaken. Our county has hilly topography and sound traveling is already an existing issue and this causes uncertainty. Expressed concerns over Dominion Energy power availability to data centers impacting customers. She suggested a mandatory 5 year equipment reassessment in order to guarantee projected tangible tax revenue. She requested water estimates and staff responded there will not be any water estimates and none are available, it is an unknown and a data center might have to consider onsite water storage in order to not cause a surge to the system. Pre-treatment of waste is already being done by other industrial sites. Given the revenue and land cost she believed we should not worry about a special use permit costing the developer more. The larger setbacks will be helpful to protect residential and supports 500 feet. Supports all data centers require a special use permit (no Tiers). 

BOS Jim Andrews, Samuel Miller questions the height. Staff reported they tend to be 1-story but taller than normal, multi-story is usually for centers less than 40,000 square feet in size. Staff did not consider any height limitations and is following existing building code which is up to 65'. Taxes are collected on footprint, not gross building total square foot. Staff estimated water use to be substantially less than apartments and hotels. Current noise regulations A weighted but staff is looking into C weighting but it is more difficult to enforce. He is concerned about our hilly community and measuring noise at boundary might not be ideal as could be louder away from site. Staff projects the State Farm 400,000 square foot complex would likely not be reused for a data center but demolished. Staff will look into data center decommissioning similar to the solar requirements. He is hearing pushback from the public about data centers energy use as they far exceed the norm. Not confident the EPA will regulate in the future so electricity would not be cleaner as the county has previously promised. Staff provided that the proposed Tier districts know where power can be obtained and in some cases the infrastructure is already onsite. The State of Virginia has no electricity data as to how much is required to power any of these data centers. He likes the fact that staff has identified areas where the data centers are appropriate but does not like the fact that the public will not have any input "by right". Wants more public vetting to clarify the Tiers and for transparency. Dark sky regulating is something they are looking into for all properties in the county. The I64 / 29 site is very hilly so likely a data center being broken up into multiple buildings. Concerned about residential impact.

BOS Diantha McKeel, Jack Jouett believes a lot of misinformation is in the community. Loudon county has changed their ordinance to special use permit but they had a 50 - 70 data center backlog. Our county has the highest number of land conservation in the state, agriculture and land conservation property does not generate revenue. 49.4 million square feet of data centers in Loudon County (22.9% of tax base), industrial in Albemarle county is 11% but partly this is because residential real estate prices have gone up lowering that number. Staff remarked they are presenting strong performance standards for "by right" and the board asked for a tax strategy and here it is. Requiring a special use permit would lead to an 8 month review and possible conditions put on that permit in the end. Performance standards by defining Tiers bring certainty and a business can better know in advance if they can operate here or not. UVA has 4 data centers and the new proposed site in Fontaine is a 40,000 square feet center (MY NOTE: published data indicates it to actually be 10,000 square feet). The reality is they are already in our community. Supports ordinance and Tier proposals with understanding it is still evolving through staff research. Albemarle county is being proactive and that will prevent some of the worst fears.

Questions and comments may be sent to the entire BOS@albemarle.org or to your individual representative. 

~Rebecca

It's peak Butterfly time in Central Virginia, I've never seen so many in my garden!

For the last 5 years, we've been delaying the start of Spring mowing. My neighbor hires a mowing company and they mowed 10 times before we mowed once. Since we moved into our house 15 years ago, we have not mulched, burned, or removed the fallen leaves. I even rake over leaves from our neighbor who would normally pay for removal. 

Leaves are natures fertilizer and hold treasures. This year we have experienced record numbers of butterflies in our garden, especially Skippers. It could be due to many different factors. Weather; rain or dryness or heat or cold. It could be there were butterfly eggs deposited in the grass that we did not destroy from mowing less often. It could be that the adult butterflies that wrap themselves in leaves inside a warm cocoon for Winter hibernation were left where they fell.

August has proven to be the best month for butterfly observing in my area. The vast majority come in the hot Summer and Fall months. I've heard it said over and over in July, "there are no butterflies!" We even had a count in July and it was depressing as there were so few to count! Patience, patience... 

This weekend has proved to be a butterfly bonanza! We have at least 100 Skippers hopping around patches of flowers in the garden. They especially like Mountain Mint, Apple Mint, Althea, Butterfly Bush, Cup Plant, Anemone, and Marigolds. My yard has been part of the annual butterfly count for several years and typically we might find 25 Skippers. 

Surprisingly I have seen three Zebra butterflies. I'm lucky to see one if any in a year! I planted a little trio of Pawpaw trees several years ago to draw in the Zebra. Each butterfly species seeks out the unique plant required to feed their caterpillar on which to lay their eggs and this is the plant the Zebra is looking for. I often see butterflies frantically popping around the garden from plant to plant, maybe they are searching for their host plant.

My second favorite butterfly to spot is the Common Buckeye. It's shocking when you find one for the first time. It's a charming orange and brown butterfly with all sizes of eyespots. I've never understood using the word common as part of its name as it is truly magical!

The American Snout has the perfect name. A long snout brown curious insect. I've seen it land on humans more than any other butterfly, most likely relishing the salt we produce. There has never been a Summer without a little nosey Snouter greeting me as I get in my swimming pool slurping up any splashed water or lighting on my arm. 

I don't see many of the most talked about butterfly, the Monarch, in my garden but I'm still developing my milkweed stations. I hope that's the reason and in future years I'll see more. 

Right NOW is the time in Central Virginia to get out and see butterflies. You will find them in full sun among blooming flowers or some smaller species will hop out in an open field as you walk. Do not cross a butterfly with your shadow and always walk very slowly toward them. They can feel the shade and air current which will make them fly away. 

Butterflies are selective, looking for nectar (they are not looking for pollen as they do not have a family to raise). The more native plants you have, the greater chance you have of attracting them not only for nectar but to have the correct caterpillar food for them to hang around. They do visit several non-native plants that I do not recommend you plant (I inherited Apple Mint, Butterfly bush and Althea which they really like). Seek out native plants instead as this is what they really need to survive and grow in your own garden.

Get out and enjoy these beautiful insects.

~Rebecca

Putting the Brakes on Data Centers in Virginia, A review of Albemarle County new ordinance proposals

As I stated in my previous blog post, the State of Virginia houses more data centers than any other market in the world. The biggest concentration being in Northern Virginia. More and more citizens are speaking out and restrictions are being added or tightened by some counties but energy consumption and the type of center are regulated at the state level. 

20% of Dominion Energy electricity is used to run Virginia's 586 data centers. By 2040 researchers believe 40% of our electricity will go toward data centers. Energy resources have to be continually developed to meet the ever growing demand. Dominion estimates that in 15 years power demand will increase by 85%. Someone has to pay for the infrastructure build out long before data centers are up and running. In Pennsylvania residents are seeing increases in their power bills with no end in site fueled by energy hungry data centers.

Louisa County recently approved construction of two Amazon data centers. Even more recently, a third Amazon data center was proposed. This county has two operating Lake Anna nuclear reactors that are owned by Dominion Energy. Water to run the data centers will be extracted from the local reservoir that is an active fishing and recreation area that also serves residences and businesses in that area. Citizens voiced their concerns over a third center and Amazon put on the brakes. It is unlikely that this project will disappear, will it be refiled or moved to a nearby county? 

Nearby Albemarle County where I live is currently revising their data center ordinances. Previously falling under the industrial zoning regulations of a minimum of 40,000 square feet footprint "by right" (Special Use Permit can be submitted for larger footprint), with a height limit up to 65'. In addition to the existing industrial zoning, the county is proposing two new zoning district overlay tiers.

Both tiers are defined as "by right" (a rubber stamp streamlined approval process as no impact study or public input is required if they meet general conditions). Tier 1 for centers up to 125,000 square feet footprint "by right" and Tier 2 for centers up to 500,000 footprint "by right" but the sky is the limit on footprint size in either tier by Special Use Permit (subject to review by the Board of Supervisors and a legislative review by federal and state agencies). Typically there are no set rules for Special Use Permit at the local level because it is subject to legislative review. It is unclear if an impact study or public input is even mandated as part of the Special Use Permit. Our Governor just stopped a state level non-partisan reform bill by Veto that was to somewhat regulate data centers, addressing growing citizen complaints. He is leaving it up to each county to define their own rules but electricity parameters are solely controlled at the state level. The President is rolling back environmental regulations for AI / data centers, lessening or eliminating restrictions.

In reviewing the proposed ordinance I posed a few questions to county staff for clarity. A by right Tier 2 data center could be 500,000 square feet x 6 stories high = 3,000,000 square feet. Crypto currency data centers (which uses even more resources to operate) can not be excluded from being allowed as the county does not have regulatory authority. Water is allowed from public sources only and fortunately must be a closed loop or recycled system. Screening, noise and setbacks are similar to other county ordinances but there are plenty of complaints from citizens in other communities that live next door to a data center. There can be no mention of electricity restrictions because there is a State regulatory agency that manages this. "The County may only enact regulations consistent with the authority granted to it by the General Assembly. The County does not have the authority to regulate data centers based on energy consumption, employment, customers served, technology used, or the origin of equipment used to operate the data center." In Georgia (another high buildout data center state) the public service authority has stated that data centers must pay for the upgrades needed, not the general public. There is no mention of clean up if a county is left holding an abandoned building or if the county is responsible for the waste removal.

Why have data centers become problematic. Mainly because they convert massive expanses of land and use vast amounts of resources that are shared with residents (electricity and water) and are not good neighbors (noise, light and air pollution, and create hazardous ewaste). How close is too close to living beside a data center and what does it do to property values? Stafford is still buffering data centers as the planning commission recommends to move them farther away from residents. Chesapeake residents say NO to more data centers! Louisa County just had a data center client back out due to public outcry. Loudon County (the world capital of data centers) and Henrico County just revised their data center ordinance to not have any future "by-right" approvals, all must be reviewed and by Special Use Permit. Fauquier County limits projects to only areas zoned as business parks. Fairfax County recently tightened restrictions on the size, location and design and requires companies to submit a noise study.

Northern Virginia residents are fed up with large Data center development so they are flowing downward into less populated, more scenic and rural areas of the state. Did you know that Smith Mountain Lake "the Lake Tahoe of the East" is owned by a public water utility (AEP) that operates a hydroelectric dam and it is ripe for the picking. AEP in Ohio is trying to get data centers to pre-pay for their share of electricity use because of the massive electricity upgrades that are required before a data center is even built. Someone has to pay for the upgrades to the system, are residents footing the bill?  

Are ready? Are we protected? Can we co-exist? The next public meeting for Albemarle County concerning data centers is the planning commission public meeting on October 14, 6 pm. There is a Board of Supervisors work session on August 6. Citizens can still Ask a questions on the online message board and/or you can leave a comment. You must create an account for your message to display publicly. 

~Rebecca

 

The data on Virginia Data Centers, Coming your way soon

The State of Virginia houses more data centers than any other market (including whole countries) in the world. 586 centers are currently operational but plans for what seems to be an unlimited number with little restrictions are in the works. The new AI push is to build data centers everywhere and anywhere resources can be found to be gobbled up to support them. Our own governor put corporate needs before citizen concerns by stopping a state level non-partisan reform bill that was to FINALLY regulate data centers. Leaving it up to each county to define their own playing rules, if any.

Data centers have become the modern day gold rush as counties reap revenue that seems to be too good to be true. Hosting companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Digital Realty, and Iron Mountain. Loudoun County is the leader in the state with 300 data centers with 49,000,000 square feet under roof. Loudoun County is just now getting around to restrictions, referring to centers as the Goose that lays the Golden Egg.

It was interesting to me that on a chat group, someone suggested to turn a vacant mall into a data center. That's a fine idea but the modern day data center is frequently massive, dwarfing most malls. The Loudoun county "eco-center" (as our governor refers to Virginia data centers), encompasses an area of 8 pentagons (referred to as a digital city hiding in plain site).

One example is what is becoming a blossoming eco-complex that started with 2 Amazon data centers in Louisa county. Just last week, before the data centers have even been built, Amazon announced the desire to add another data center. In Louisa there are currently 4 proposed data center campuses encompassing 2,600 acres. To look at this another way, this is 1,970 football fields in size. 

Data centers run 24/7 and require massive amounts of electricity and water to cool equipment. Using Louisa as an example, as it happens to be located in the next county over from where I live, Dominion Energy owns the 2 Lake Anna nuclear reactors and will be upgrading that facility to handle electricity for the proposed data center campuses. Water will be routed from the local reservoir that is an active fishing and recreation area that currently is the primary water sources for that county.

A recent study found the data center industry both helps and hurts Virginia. There is no light at the end of the tunnel for data center development in our state which puts a lot of pressure on natural resources and electricity generation. Serious ramping up of all forms of energy production will have to happen to support the growing demand.

This year Dominion Energy is asking for a rate hike that would increase your monthly bill by an average of $21 by 2027. In 2022, the utility delivered 36% of all power to customers by natural gas, 29% by nuclear, 22% by third party purchase, 5% by coal, and 5% from renewables. Their long-term plan to meet the demand is to get energy from every basket available but natural gas, coal, and nuclear plants are main sources of energy. In Albemarle County, Dominion Energy is building a solar farm on our capped Ivy landfill which is a great way to utilize land that can't be used for much of anything else but it is a drop in the bucket.

Why have data centers become problematic. Mainly because they convert massive expanses of land and use vast amounts of resources (electricity and water) and are not good neighbors (noise, light and air pollution, and create hazardous ewaste). Community planners have created electric and water resources based on consumption by residential customers and much smaller business footprints. How close is too close to living beside a data center and what does it do to property values? 1/3 of all data centers in Virginia are near to residential areas. What is the lasting impact to quality of life? I would imagine the answer to the last 2 questions is obvious - NOT GOOD. Given data centers are spreading in our state faster than they can be regulated or even mapped, this should cause serious concern to each and every citizen. Albemarle county where I live is currently revising their data center ordinances. 

Putting greed over community sensibilities and regulations can end up being destructive. Without guardrails and community discourse the goose may leave unsuspecting citizens holding a rotten egg. 

~Rebecca

 

A few of my favorite new gardening gadgets that help ease Arthritis Pain

It has been years since I've even thought about buying MORE garden tools. We have quite the stash but most are bulky, heavy, and over the years new gadgets have come on the market. It has been 15 years since I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogrens. I also have pretty severe Osteoarthritis in my thumbs and wrists. Many of my old standby's are just too hard to manage and leave me in pain after using. It was making gardening depressing. I had to do something to extend my garden life for years to come.

My first favorite find were Workpro USB plug in pruning shears. They are amazing and easily cut shrub branches, blackberry canes, and vines with one hit. There is a safety on this style of clippers where you have to hold down 2 buttons at once to cut, which is not great for arthritic hands. I do not have pain while using them or lingering pain once I stop like I do with my manual Felco pruning shears. All brands of this type of pruner are not lightweight but this was the lightest I could find. Most have the square battery pack stuck on the end of the handle which was a deal breaker for me because it added too much bulk and weight. If the Workpro shears were even lighter they would be even better. They should be used by experienced gardeners. I also stash them in a pouch on my waist when not in use as holding for any period fatigues my wrists. A carry holster or at minimum a carry clip would elevate this tool to the next level.

My second favorite find is our new rechargeable pole pruning saw. This is a tool that is too heavy for me on any level but my husband is also aging and manual sawing of limbs is getting tiring. The Skil pruner gets him out in the yard more (men love gadgets at any age) and saves a ton of time. He wanted a reputable brand and I looked for something with the most reach and power that was not so so heavy. I can hardly hold it but it's great for him. You also want self oiling and one that is easy to tighten the chain because with use it just naturally gets loose. 

I've not yet tried the Workpro cordless mini hedge trimmer but they look interesting. The weight is around 1 lbs and that's lighter than many as most other brands have the heavy battery packs on the end. Looking at the demos I'm not convinced that it will cut big enough branches for my needs. Seems that they mainly just top the ends. If you have a softer wood smaller shrub or vine, this would be a nice addition. I'm still searching for manual or cordless hedge trimmers that fit my needs.

I ordered industrial Corona brand limb cutters that I had to return but they were glorious and incredibly built but the listing said they were a lighter weight than in reality. They were 3 lbs and I can only manage 1.5 lbs tops, they were even heavy for my husband! Currently I have my aging Fiskars that I bought 15 years ago because at the time they were the lightest I could find. 

I'm also on the hunt for a weeding tool to easily dig out seriously deep rooted plants like pokeweed or other invasives like English Ivy or Oriental Bittersweet. I've not found anything revolutionary that would ease digging for me. 

It's a challenge when doing much leaves you on the sidelines. If you have a favorite tool that has changed your gardening for the better, I would love to know about it! Leave a comment.

~Rebecca

Historic Garden Week in Virginia begins April 26th, 2025

The 2025 Historic Garden Week in Virginia is April 26 - May 3. Local Garden Clubs throughout Virginia host the annual week long home and garden tours. A nice guidebook is available at select outlets or you can view it online.

I always seek out locations that are more nature centric. Some tours focus more on home interiors but regardless, one is sure to immerse oneself in the lovely Spring gardens along tour routes. This year seems to be loaded with many choices that appeal to me!

Based on my preference to stroll in as many gardens as possible, my top contenders for tour spots this year are: Northern Neck, Chatham Hills / Richmond, Norfolk, Williamsburg, and Middleburg. 

Northern Neck, near to the Chesapeake Bay, is my top pick but it's close to a 3 hour drive for me from Charlottesville so it's a little far but oh so tempting. Situated on the Rappahannock River homes date from 1855 to the 1990's. One property attracts many birds and features a pond. Terms such as lush, expansive, wooded, and natural beauty are used to describe this tour.

Richmond is the closest spot on my list and usually there are 2 separate tours on different days. Especially interesting to me is the neighborhood of Chatham Hills which when originally designed had the landscape services of Charles F. Gillette. The guidebook starts with... "an oasis of manicured gardens, 5.5 acre estate, and describes another property as 1.5 acres of lush landscape". That should do it! A range of different styles of homes in a beautiful part of Richmond. A brick colonial, farmhouse, Greek Revival and Dutch Colonial.

The Norfolk tour is on a waterfront peninsula and included in the tour, if you have not exhausted your senses, is The Norfolk Botanical Gardens which is a real bonus! Renovated mid century dated homes are featured, which is quite appealing to me. One property contains one of the oldest Maple trees in Norfolk. I always enjoy "garden only" tours and on the list is a sedum roof solar home with gardens boasting more than 1,500 native plants.

I'm a bit partial to Williamsburg because when I was googling a Salt Spa popped up in my feed which gave me the great idea to make it an overnight trip doubling up gardens with some additional relaxation. This tour features 13 sites! Quite incredible for a one day tour. I'll need a massage after all that walking. One farm house built in 1775 was relocated to Williamsburg in 1928! Two "garden only" tours are included which is right up my alley. Included in the tour is a colonial Williamsburg guided walking tour featuring 3 homes and 4 garden sites.

Garden guidebook photos make Middleburg look quite lush. One property was included in the Smithsonian's Archives of American Gardens, cataloging more than 140 species of birds! Several water features are mentioned, one being 2 ponds located in a natural area. This tour is a walking tour which is always nice because you park once and don't have to fool with maneuvering to each property.

In my own neck of the woods, I hope to finally see the gardens of Morven in Charlottesville and I just noticed that at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library on the UVA Campus currently is running an Anne Spencer exhibit. I've been to Anne's home and gardens in Lynchburg several times. On 4/28 Monday from 11 - 3 the UVA President's home gardens (Carr's Hill) will be open which is always pretty in the Spring!

Get out this Spring! 

~Rebecca

 

80,000 veterans administration jobs to be cut. Why are we punishing our vets!

Today our caring and stellar geriatric doctor made a house call to give a shingles vaccine and review the health of my 93 year old veteran father-in-law, Bob. We have gotten to know him over the last 6 months since Bob moved into our home. Previously Bob was not in great shape. He lived alone in TN and had various doctors that he visited from time to time even though he had macular degeneration and was developing dementia. His general doctor told us he would not live out the year and basically to just throw in the towel and not bother treating his growing list of ailments (that was in 2023). 

Up until about 85 years of age, Bob was a go getter, with a career in construction work. Always on the move! Handmaking woodcrafts and growing vegetables to share with his neighbors. He was quite generous, even nearly losing everything from paying home health care workers to help him with his wife who was bed bound for 6 years. He never used the Veterans Administration as he really was a pretty healthy guy. He served in the Korean War loading bombs in planes and training others on the shooting range. His hearing has been bad for many many years. Possibly because there was no ear protection back in those days.

He had asked for nothing personally from the VA. After his funds were nearly wiped out, I stumbled upon the Veterans Administration in Tennessee and because he was adamant about staying independent, we started him in their home health care program which contracts through an agency up to 20 hours a week assistance with dressing, cleaning, bathing, and meal preparation. Eventually we had to bring him to Virginia to live with us. We transferred all medical to the VA clinic in Charlottesville which is run out of the Richmond office.

We have been so impressed with his care and just mentioned a few days ago how he has done a complete turn around. Previously hardly unable to get out of a chair and living a solitary existence basically just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now he has a wonderful geriatric doctor that comes to our house and treats all his ailments. He even has gotten him in a local day care program! You might think home health care is frivolous but it makes sense! It takes another person with a body belt to assist walking Bob up and down the stairs and then we have to put him in a wheelchair. Because of his many ailments, it required nearly weekly office visits to the different specialists. He now primarily sees his geriatric doctor and it saves so much hassle. His doctor is amazing and an asset to our elderly service members. 

My father also served in the Korean War and he never received VA assistance. He died in a nursing home from Alzheimer's. If he had been enrolled with the VA it might have not been such a difficult ending and it absolutely would have helped my mother who cared for him day in and day out. I've experienced both private care (which was a total nightmare) and public VA care and I'll take the VA care any day! My experience has been quite positive and has improved his quality of life significantly.

I just read of the pending indiscriminate elimination of 80,000 employees from the Veterans Administration (30% of which are veterans themselves). Why is the richest country in the world targeting the VA? Why are we punishing our veterans and their families? How can we ask individuals to join the military and not promise them benefits or pull the plug on them? Why are we asking wonderful doctors to take a hike?

There are many elderly veterans that are going to be seriously disoriented by losing their health care services and/or provider. When we have no compassion and give no thought to harming those who we have asked to sacrifice their life to PROTECT OUR COUNTRY then we've lost our soul. To pull the rug out from veterans that have relied on the VA is gut wrenching and to see great doctors get kicked to the curb without any thought as to the service they provide is disturbing. There is no logical reason for doing this other than selfishness and shortsightedness with the intent to gleefully cause chaos. 

My father-in-law has our family to keep him safe but sadly some veterans are terminally or mentally ill and can't fend for themselves. Willy-nilly axing VA medical doctors and staff just because you think there is government waste is a total copout as to what your real plan is, to privatize our government and shrink it down so the wealthiest can benefit while leaving the less fortunate to figure it out. Please call TODAY your representatives and ask them to explain what they will do to protect the elderly, veterans, and our valued doctors from this planned extermination at the Veterans Administration.

~Rebecca

Abraham Lincoln In his Times by David S Reynolds book review. Honest Abe was truly an amazing man.

Several weeks ago I found some time to search for garden history books at our local library, specifically about Monet and Vita Sackville-West, neither of which were fruitful checkouts as both were missing. I had no intention of reading about Abe, especially a 1,000 page book. Coincidently, on my checkout list was a different David Reynolds book with stellar reviews, so this book about Lincoln caught my eye.

I will start by saying this is not really a review as I'm not going to be critical one way or the other but it is more of a description of my enlightenment. This book is very detailed and begins with the birth of Abe and ends with his death. It does not cover much about the ins and outs of the horrors of the Civil War but it highlights significant battles and Abe's involvement. The life of Abe has been thoroughly recorded in history and after reading the book I understand why. Our President Lincoln was indeed a significant historic personality who somehow managed to survive through the long war years.

After reading this book, my general impression of Abe was that he was honest and didn't waver on his commitments or beliefs having strict moral character and fortitude. Our government before Abe sounded disheveled, mismanaged, and full of rowdy behavior. It was said that only Honest Abe could have pulled off uniting the States while freeing the slaves. He was not an uppity man, he was the salt of the earth. Self educated and eventually becoming a good lawyer and ultimately a wise statesman. He is a good example of what is called the American Dream. His life experiences were varied and he had direct contact with a wide range of social classes. The people could relate to his speeches as they were mesmerizing, well thought out, and to the point. Photos of Abe in his later years of life show his increasingly worn appearance throughout the continuation of the Civil War (estimates of 520,000 soldiers died but records were not accurate especially concerning confederate soldiers and slave deaths. Some calculations put it closer to over 1 million and included death from diseases).

Being a life long Virginian, I have been to the Lincoln Memorial several times and the experience is like no other. Climbing the stairs one feels as if on hallowed ground, Lincoln bigger than life, his importance illustrated by his size. It indeed is a fitting structure in honor of this truly amazing man.

During the 4 years of Lincoln's presidency, 1961 - 1965 many other societal projects were occurring. We mainly think of Lincoln as bearing the weight of the war but the country was also experiencing rapid expansion. He believed strongly in infrastructure so he was promoting the railroad while directing distribution of tracts of land through the Homestead Act to hopeful poorer families (sadly greedy prospectors took advantage of the program). Shockingly, when he took office, there was no uniform banking system, money was being produced in different designs by the states. He signed a National Banking Act to have one currency. There was no oversight in agriculture and he created the USDA. A large group of mid-west and west coast states were still territories which gradually were being converted into States (adding more drama concerning States rights to own slaves or not). Of course his biggest accomplishments were ending the war, freeing the slaves while preserving the Union, and adding the 13th Amendment to the constitution.

My family, Tobacco pouch from Virginia factory after war

Also of interest in the book were his relationships with this wife, friends, business associates, and government officials. I gathered that he was at ease with meeting the unknown head on, eager for new experiences and a master at working through difficulties. It is striking to realize he was able to absorb himself in the greatest of responsibility during this chaotic time in history and not have a stroke or be assassinated. He never seemed to heed warnings of his likely demise from his many enemies, putting duty before all else. Self-sacrificing even though so many died on his watch. 

Even Lincoln was not perfect. The Indian crisis out West was not a priority and their lands continued to be distributed to white settlers. He replaced his generals frequently because they either didn't follow instructions or for losing battles which caused the war to drag on. Progressives and civil rights leaders were critical of his slowness to end slavery. Ultimately, he saved the union while freeing the slaves from the lawful designation of them being human prisoners for life as mere property.

My family, Confederate Vet and family after war

It took me about 4 weeks to finish the book and it inspired me to watch Abraham Lincoln 3 part series produced some time ago by the History channel and research my Virginia family history a bit more. 

~Rebecca

2024 Year in Review - Crazy year - Seniors - Cats - Estates - Hard Work

Who knew getting old was this much work! Now I know why people retire at 65, because one must take care of their aging parents and pets, file for social security, find new insurance, sell real estate and basically set up one's future so you can ease into it! I've yet to see the easing but the summation of this past year has been "one thing after another" but there is always a silver lining as so many people have come to my rescue this year!

The first few months of 2024 started pretty calmly and then snowballed into a complete nightmare. My husband was living in Tennessee caring for his 93 year old father and everything that could break at our house in Virginia did. We're big DYIers and rarely hire anyone because often it does not turn out like it should. In early Spring the power went out and I was hauling in wood for the stove. Things calmed down and were going along pretty well until the grass started growing. The belt on the lawn mower broke. I had someone tell me they were coming several times to replace it and never did so the grass kept growing - a lot! I had to find someone to mow the lawn which was a bit of a disaster. A kind gentleman showed up with a push mower for 2 acres. After 6 hours, 3 stop and start rains and the sun beginning to set, I let him go and there was still 1 acre left to mow! Retrospectively it seems like such an easy thing to work out but everyone already has mowing commitments and it was impossible to find someone urgently over Memorial Day weekend. 

During that time the water heater began to leak and the compressor on the Heat and Air broke. Next up was opening the pool which was totally not doable by myself. I don't even remember what else happened but I was bailing in a boat, sinking in a swamp -- totally losing it. Finally we decided enough was enough and it was time to either get divorced or move my father-in-law in with us. Of course he did not want to leave his home and that was another hurdle. We ended up proposing a 2 week vacation which at least got him willingly out of his house. It was frightening driving him 6 hours but we did make several stops (one being ice cream) and it went smoothly. After being at our house for 3 days, he told us he wanted to live with us and to sell his house. We all cried!

Bob is very little trouble and still gets around but can't be left alone. The biggest responsibility is that I have been managing his home located out of state. We discovered there was no insurance on the house! The first trip to check on this house was intense. I had a long list of tasks to accomplish to list his house with a realtor. The heat and air was not working when I arrived. A lot of time was wasted hiring a disreputable company that ripped me off straight away (my worst google review of 2024) but I did find a great company to fix it and also found a wonderful tree cutter who did an excellent job. My Aunt who lives nearby helped me and supplied FOOD so I ended up enjoying my time with her and the wonderful realtor that brought me coffee to seal the deal. Brittney Riddell has helped me in so many ways, letting people into the house to buy items and picking me up after selling Bob's car at Carmax. During the horrible rain that nearly wiped out Asheville several bridges were washed away near Bob's house. When the realtor finally could even get to the house she had to bail out the crawl space. A neighbor of Bob's has also helped me greatly, coming to my rescue many times! I am so thankful these angels dropped into my life.

To add more drama, when Bob found out that I was at his house he got angry that I did not take him with me and went on a hunger strike. After a week of preparing his house to sell; hiring an assortment of companies while cleaning, painting, selling items online, gardening, stuffing my car full and general craziness I was told Bob was at the ER. I was driving home and my husband called saying his Dad passed out from not eating. Luckily the home health care worker caught him. So I drove 6 hours to Virginia straight into the ER. Talk about exhausted. He remained in the hospital for observation for 3 days. 

After moving Bob to Virginia we had to transfer his Veterans healthcare which amounted to wiping the slate and starting all over. Setting up medical care, prescriptions, and home health care. The VA has some great benefits but the systems takes time and persistence to set up through the Richmond office. They have a wonderful VA Clinic in Charlottesville and after a few months we were assigned a geriatric doctor that comes straight to the house! He also hooked Bob up to a local day care program at JABA which he really enjoys. They have qualified caregivers, live music, meals, and programs to keep him active. He was even dancing the other day which we never thought we would see given the doctors said he would not make it through the year! Also through the VA we have home health care come several days a week to assist him.

The icing on the cake was my year end deadline to finalize my friend's estate that I've been working on since 2023. I really thought I could complete this process alone, but the complexity of her brokerage account financial statements got me in the end. No unsurmountable issues until the accounting struck. In the end I wanted to blow my brains out. I consulted with an accountant, watched tons of videos, and even attended an online Q and A session. I did everything imaginable but still could not balance the financials. How hard could it be? It's just MATH! I like math. It drove me to near insanity and finally with a week left in 2024 (after searching for a week), I found a CPA and handed my completed accounting over and ran screaming into the night. It was like giving up a child. I had invested so much time and energy into this. Apparently this last step is a beast and very few accountants will fool with it. I'm ending the year sweating as I've not heard that she has been successful. I hope she can find the error!

Another side project that I've been working on since the Summer is getting free solar panels installed. It is a pilot program through our local energy company and LEAP that ended in 2024 so the clock was ticking! They were turned on 12/23. It's a basic system and we'll only see 1/4 - 1/2 of our usage covered but I've been committed to solar for a very long time. It's a pretty exciting moment for me and a positive way to end a year of chaos and trauma. This is my annual environmental commitment that will last for 30 years! We'll be in our 90's when they pull the plug if we make it that long.

My mother has been living with us for 4 years now. She is still very independent and has her regular weekly drive route that she navigates safely. We volunteer for Friends of the Library and she mainly watches the chaos from afar. We upgraded her tablet at Christmas so she is amazingly tech savvy at 89. She also helps me package items for my online selling sites and it's a mystery how I continued to sell through thick and thin and had the best year ever.

In the Spring I discovered my long time vet had retired and had not been happy with the vet staff for some time so I switched my 3 aging cats to a new clinic. A frightening process but the staff is kind and the vet is excellent. Our cats have arthritis, 2 are on blood pressure meds, one has IBS, another is hyper-thyroid. $$$$. We have reminder alarms for pill management going off morning, noon, and night for people and cats!

Anthony ran into a technicality at the first of the year with his job working out of state and eventually had to retire a year earlier than planned. He finalized his Medicare and social security and will collect his first check January 2025. Because I'm not retirement age I had to search for private health and dental insurance. Adding another duty to the roster. We also have an insurance angel that helps our entire household. Thank goodness for Mr. Trout.

Being "the year of Bob", we ended it with getting him a Virginia license that allowed him to vote and get a fishing license. He really wants to get out this Spring by a Lake! 

Without the help of several key people, I don't believe I would be sitting here typing this. here were some kind souls that really bailed me out!

The happiest new year to all and keep the faith. Day by day, hour by hour, keep plugging. This too will pass, and it did, 2024 is toast!

~Rebecca