Local officials outside Richmond, Virginia, have voted against a proposed data center park from Tract.

As reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Chesterfield County planning commission this week voted to recommend denial for Tract’s rezoning application. The final decision on the development will be made by the council at a future date.

The company is seeking to rezone 745 acres at 16100 Branders Bridge Road from Agricultural (A) to General Industrial (I-2) for a data center development known in documents as the Branders Bridge Road Data Center. The project is also known as the Chesterfield Technology Park.

The commission agenda noted the county’s comprehensive plan suggests the property is appropriate for corporate office, R&D, light industrial, or suburban residential uses. County staff had recommended approval.

However, transportation was noted as an issue, with county staff warning that without investment in new roads, the project would result in more traffic utilizing existing substandard roads, negatively impacting safety along those roads.

“Where I have a real challenge is where it’s located,” said Gib Sloan, who represents the Bermuda District on the planning commission, during Tuesday’s meeting. “We need to look at a case through the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens.”

Colorado-based Tract was founded by former Cologix CEO Grant van Rooyen and describes itself as a company that acquires, zones, entitles, and develops "master-planned" data center parks. The company aims to get sites zoned, powered, and shovel-ready for other companies to develop data centers on.

News that the company had filed plans for the Branders Bridge development surfaced in February. The company hopes to gain approval to allow the construction of up to 11 data centers totaling around two million sq ft (185,805 sqm).

After launching in Nevada in 2023, Tract has plans for large-scale campuses across Texas (x2), Virginia, Arizona, Minnesota (x2), and Utah. On its website, the company also lists planned developments in Iowa, Illinois, and North Carolina.

The company saw pushback in Buckeye, Arizona, and withdrew its application from Maricopa County’s planning and development queue after opposition from local residents and officials.

Local residents sued the city of Farmington in Minnesota over Tract's proposed development.

Tract’s site in Nevada is also embroiled in legal action, as Switch is attempting to block the firm's development near its campus in Nevada. Tract has filed a counterclaim.

The company has one existing site in development in Virginia, outside Richmond in Hanover County. At full build, Tract’s Hanover Technology Park will support up to 2.4 GW of capacity across 1,200 acres. News of the project first surfaced in late 2023; planning documents suggest up to 46 buildings may be developed on the site.

Tract’s parent, Tract Capital, recently launched a dedicated data center developer, known as Fleet DC.