DANVILLE, Va. – Danville and Pittsylvania County leaders have finalized a historic agreement with STACK Infrastructure for a proposed $100 billion digital infrastructure campus at the Southern Virginia Megasite at Berry Hill, a project officials say could transform the economy of Southside Virginia over the next three decades.
The Regional Industrial Facilities Authority, a joint board between the county and city, approved the agreement Monday, advancing what officials describe as one of the largest industrial investments in United States history. The project, planned over a 30-year period, would bring a large-scale data center campus to the Berry Hill site near Danville.
“This is very historic because of the amount of revenue and the investment that we’re looking at,” Vic Ingram said following the announcement.
According to local officials, the project is tied for the third-largest industrial announcement in U.S. history. Construction is expected to last between 12 and 15 years, potentially starting later this year.
Leaders estimate the campus would create roughly 4,000 jobs overall, including 2,500 full-time positions over the next 20 years with an average annual salary of about $85,000.
Officials also say the development is projected to generate between $2.5 billion and $3.3 billion in local revenue during its first 20 years. The project would pay at least $48.5 million annually in taxes, with revenue split between Danville and Pittsylvania County.
County leaders emphasized the agreement was reached with few incentives offered to the company.
“We have not offered up anything,” Ingram said. “They came to us asking, ‘What can we do for you guys?’ rather than ‘What can you do for us?’”
The land for the project was sold at a gross price of approximately $238,000 per acre. Meanwhile, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors is considering establishing a data center equipment tax rate of $1.62 per $100 of assessed value.
Despite the economic projections, some nearby residents remain concerned about the project’s environmental impact.
Erin Hall, who lives about four miles from the proposed campus, said she worries about potential impacts to groundwater and nearby properties.
“What happens if it goes wrong?” Hall said. “What happens if we go home and we have sediment coming up out of our well?”
Local leaders have pushed back on some environmental concerns, saying estimates show the project would use less water from the Dan River than other industrial developments proposed in the region in the past and would not use any well water.
Ingram said one of the final major hurdles could come from the Virginia General Assembly if lawmakers change current tax policies tied to data center equipment.
“If Richmond says we’re not going to honor the sales agreement, the tax-exempt status for data centers, which includes a digital infrastructure campus, we’ll lose this deal,” he said.