More than 200 Roanoke Valley residents gathered in Grandin Village on Wednesday afternoon, demanding Virginia lawmakers impose an immediate freeze on new data center approvals as Google explores two major regional facilities.
Demonstrators marched along Grandin Road before holding a community forum and screening the documentary Vs. Goliath at the Grandin Theatre. Protesters voiced concerns over non-disclosure agreements, strain on local water supplies, and rising electric bills tied to rapid industrial development.
The rally follows confirmation that Google is evaluating a campus at Roanoke County’s Wood Haven Technology Park through March 2027, while actively grading 312 acres in Botetourt County for a planned three-building campus totaling nearly 1 million square feet, according to the Roanoke Rambler.
Bipartisan opposition unites voters across party lines
Roanoke County resident Andrea Midkiff said the issue has forged an uncommon alliance in a typically divided electorate.
“This is one of the few things that in the last couple of years have united us,” Midkiff said. “There’s no colors, there’s no politics. There’s people from different backgrounds that are all against these data centers.”
The sentiment extends to federal politics: both candidates for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District—Republican incumbent Rep. Ben Cline and Democratic challenger Beth Macy—support pausing new approvals until regulatory safeguards are established, as reported by Cardinal News.
Midkiff noted that resistance is growing beyond street demonstrations, pointing to packed local board of supervisors and city council meetings across the valley.
Protesters Target Secrecy and Closed-Door Negotiations
Demonstrators also criticized how regional business leaders negotiate major tech projects under non-disclosure agreements, arguing that unelected development officials hold disproportionate sway over public resources.
“It’s just too many people in the same rooms making decisions for all of us, and they’re not really listening to us,” Midkiff said, pointing to overlapping leadership roles across economic partnerships, municipal boards, and regional technology initiatives. She specifically cited John Hull, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership, which promotes commercial development at Wood Haven.
“I think that it’s the secrecy, and all the things that have been signed behind our backs, behind closed doors,” Midkiff said. “There’s a selected few that are in power that are behind all this. The water, the air quality, the noise that the neighbors are going to be experiencing if these do get built in the area—that’s what concerns the most.”
General Assembly Session Seen as Critical Opportunity
Opponents are now looking to Richmond. Several bills proposing data center moratoriums—both temporary and indefinite—are expected to be introduced during the upcoming General Assembly session.
Midkiff expressed cautious optimism about state lawmakers’ willingness to act, even while questioning whether the governor will intervene.
“I’m not sure about the governor. I don’t know if she will act on it,” Midkiff said. “I really think that our hope is more for the General Assembly, people like Sam Rasoul. We highly have his support and other people throughout the Northern Virginia area too.”
Del. Sam Rasoul, who represents Roanoke in the House of Delegates, has backed calls for a moratorium on new data center approvals until comprehensive environmental and utility safeguards are enacted into law.
The post Hundreds rally in Grandin Village demanding statewide data center moratorium first appeared on News/Talk 960-AM & FM-107.3 WFIR.
