Here, we provide clear, straightforward answers to the questions we hear most often about our projects. You’ll find information on a wide range of topics, from project details and timelines to community considerations and the development process. As conversations continue and new questions arise, we will keep this section updated so it remains a helpful, reliable resource for the community.
Tract is a master developer of data center campuses throughout the United States. Tract’s approach is to draw upon the expertise of our highly skilled teams to create build-ready projects to support our world’s growing digital demands. Our team brings end-to-end experience in site selection, land planning, infrastructure coordination, environmental review, entitlements, design, construction, and operations. These campuses allow communities to realize the economic benefits of this critical infrastructure through a more centralized, thoughtful, intentional, and less impactful approach to development.
A master developer is a development and construction firm that acquired land for development, secures entitlements and approvals, and often builds core site infrastructure like utilities, roads, and stormwater systems. A master developer is not necessarily the end operator of the project; instead, they create the framework, do the planning, and prepare the land for the eventual builder and/or operator.
Master developers are often the driving force behind large retail, commercial, and industrial development projects.
To answer that question, let’s build on the master developer concept. If a master developer were planning a mixed-use development with a blend of retail and residential buildings, for example, they would have a vision for the mix of retailers and the number of residents to be housed, based on market demand and other factors. They may know, for example, that a grocery store would be well-suited, and that residences for 500 people would be appropriate for the size and design of the property. But they don’t know which grocery store might ultimately be built, and they may not know exactly how many apartments would be included, or what the precise mix of one-, two-, or three-bedroom units might be. The development of technology parks is similar.
Once Tract completes the land and infrastructure preparation:
Part of our work on a project is the creation, submission, and approval of a master development agreement. This is a legally binding commitment, made with local governments, that defines the scope and nature of the proposed development. Any buyer or lessor of the land that Tract prepares is legally obligated to comply with its terms.
Should a buyer or lessor want to construct buildings outside the parameters of the master development agreement, they would be required to follow the same application, review, and approval processes to amend those agreements, and would be subject to the same scrutiny and community input.
As is the case with master developers in the retail, commercial, and industrial space, we have relationships across all potential builders and operators in the data center space. We draw on decades of experience, understanding, and knowledge of the needs and demands of our prospective customers. We know what requirements each operator has, what they look for in a site, and where they want or need to locate additional facilities.
Additionally, we invest tens of millions of our own dollars to make the site ready for construction by these operators. This includes obtaining entitlements, site grading, extending utilities, building stormwater infrastructure, improving roads, and building substations for the power provider. This investment demonstrates our confidence that a site will not sit empty, and the community can realize the benefits of a data center as soon as it can be built and powered.
As for market demand, the need for data centers has been growing steadily for decades. Increased cloud adoption and usage is showing no signs of slowing down, with Gartner (and industry analyst) predicting recent growth in end-user public cloud spending of over 20% per year.
In Virginia specifically, demand signals remain strong as well. Real estate firm CBRE highlights that the data center vacancy rate in Northern Virginia was 0.5% in 2025 — among the lowest in the country — and the market saw its highest single year increase in supply in 2025 as well.
For additional information:
https://www.ippathways.com/the-state-of-cloud-in-2026-from-adoption-to-optimization/
No. Data centers have been around for decades, with the first iterations being built as early as the 1940s and 1950s for specific use cases. More modern facilities have been around since the dawn of the internet in the mid-1990s.
Data centers support technical services across communications, business functions, digital security, streaming, online storage, mapping, healthcare, travel, education, emergency response, retail, finance, and much more — including support artificial intelligence (AI).
As of mid-2026, there are fewer than 50 data centers known to be dedicated specifically to AI in the United States. For context, the country has approximately 4,500 operational data centers, meaning that roughly 1% of data centers are dedicated solely to AI. Most of the currently existing and announced facilities are located in more rural areas of the Midwest and Texas.
In simple terms, data centers are buildings which house computer servers that process, store, collect, and distribute information, and do so at a massive scale. They’re necessary to support a wide range of applications across community services, emergency response, retail and wholesale commerce, entertainment, transportation, and much more. The diagram below provides an illustration of just some of the services that depend on data centers. (Click the image to view at full size in a new tab.)
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These services all require data centers to store the data, software, and connectivity in order for them to work. Demand for data centers continues to grow as the demand for these services also expands and grows.
If you think about the project at hand:
In short, we all use data centers every day — whether we realize it or not.
Much like roads, utilities, and telecommunications, data centers support the core functions of society. They ensure the reliability of services we use daily, such as mobile apps, online retail, cloud storage, telehealth, social media, and smart city technologies.
Technologies companies work hard to ensure that their services remain operational without interruption. They do this by distributing workloads and data storage across multiple data centers, across wide geographical areas. But it’s not impossible for a data center outage to occur, and like a widespread power outage, the impact can be serious, and costly in terms of economic impact.
Given the wide-ranging uses of online technologies, data centers are considered critical infrastructure not dissimilar to electrical service, water lines, and roadways.
Tract looks at several factors when considering whether a site is attractive for data center development, including:
Some are. However, the demand for data centers is so strong that customers cannot necessarily build data centers fast enough for their growth. That’s where the work we do at Tract is so critical; our employees have been part of the data center industry for decades and bring the experience of all large-scale data center operators into one place.
The primary reason a master planned data center campus is proposed at this location is because of the November 2025 adoption of the Technology Overlay District (TOD) by Goochland County. According to the Goochland County website, “the County’s goal has remained steadfast: to find the right balance between supporting quality economic development and protecting Goochland’s way of life. The approach follows the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, which identifies the eastern part of the county as the best place for business and technology growth.”
Tuckahoe Technology Park represents a strategically located, thoughtfully planned data center campus that aligns with Goochland County’s objectives to grow its commercial tax base while protecting community character and environmental resources.
According to the Goochland County website, the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) is a special zoning tool that adds additional guidelines to the existing zoning. It allows specific business uses under certain conditions, including requirements for building setbacks, landscape buffers, and design standards, to ensure compatibility with nearby properties. Establishing a TOD involved updates to both the Comprehensive Plan and the zoning ordinance.
As set forth in the recently adopted Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD), Tuckahoe Technology Park advances Goochland County’s emerging goals for targeted, high-value economic development in appropriate locations served by major transportation and utility corridors. This type of project also supports the Comprehensive Plan goals to retain agricultural development in 85% of the county. By directing this type of development in the more developed portions of the county and adopting the standards set forth in the TOD, the County has established a vision for this area, which the Tuckahoe Technology Park fulfills. Specifically, this project:
Tuckahoe Technology Park represents a strategically located, thoughtfully planned data center campus that aligns with Goochland County’s objectives to grow its commercial tax base while protecting community character and environmental resources.
Through careful attention to site design, noise control, buffering, traffic management, environmental stewardship, and community partnership, Tract seeks approval for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) required under the TOD to realize this long-term investment. The project will reinforce prior investment in West Creek and the proposed location of the Eli Lilly facility in this area and contribute to making this area into a modern technology hub that delivers sustained fiscal, employment, and infrastructure benefits to Goochland County and its residents for decades to come.
Data centers can provide many benefits to a community, including private investment, new jobs, and tax revenue that supports schools, infrastructure, and public services without burdening residents.
Jobs created and supported by data centers provide opportunities for new workers, as well as upskilled and reskilled workers, for technical professionals, degree holders, and non-degree holders alike.
Data centers create a mix of direct, onsite jobs and broader induced employment in the community. For a campus of this scale:
Developing a master-planned data center campus requires significant capital investment from the private sector for buildings and infrastructure, construction, equipment, and ongoing operational expenses. With this level of investment, significant tax dollars will be generated that can support public safety, infrastructure upgrades, parks improvements, schools, and more.
Independent tax analysis prepared by EY (Ernst & Young) evaluates the potential long-term tax revenues generated by a data center development at Tuckahoe Technology Park under current real property, business personal property, and sales and use tax frameworks. While precise figures will depend on final buildout and equipment investments, the analysis indicates:
Compared to alternative land uses, Tuckahoe Technology Park delivers exceptionally high tax yields with relatively low service demands, particularly for schools, public safety, and general County services.
The project will be privately funded, and any infrastructure, utilities or power improvements will be paid for by the project. Tract does not propose passing any costs on to taxpayers from this project.
The project will be served by multiple new substations, all located on the site, and associated infrastructure to connect to high-voltage transmission lines near the property. Locating the substation and major feeders within the campus reduces the need for long off-site transmission extensions and allows visual and noise impacts to be managed entirely within the project boundary. Tract has submitted a load study to Dominion Energy and will continue to coordinate with them, leading up to the requested power service dates.
The project will fully comply with all requirements set forth by Dominion Energy to serve the property.
We, as the developer, are responsible for all costs to extend infrastructure to the data center campus and are responsible for significant deposit payments to be made at various stages in the process.
No, local power will not be affected by this project. The substations for this project will be on a different circuit than those serving homes, schools, and other local uses.
Additionally, studies have shown that the power grids near data centers actually become more reliable due to the infrastructure upgrades done at the developer’s cost for the project.
This project will not contribute to increasing local power costs. Tract is executing binding agreements with Dominion Energy that include financial obligations for all power infrastructure needed to serve the site.
Additionally, independent reviews by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) in 2024 confirmed data centers in Virginia already cover their fair share. And to keep it that way, the State Corporation Commission (SCC) has approved a new electricity rate for large load customers — customers like those in the Tuckahoe Technology Park, who will be required to pay under this new structure, shielding residents and smaller commercial customers. The SCC’s job is to protect Virginians by ensuring Dominion maintains a safe, reliable grid and that Dominion is not charging customers more than they should for power.
In truth, large energy users like data centers often help stabilize the grid. Their predictable, long-term energy use helps utilities plan better and recover fixed costs more efficiently, reducing pressure on other rate payers.
Data centers fund the infrastructure required to serve their sites. Utilities often require upfront capital, deposits, and financial guarantees, which means households and local businesses are not asked to pay for this infrastructure. Rising demand from large users does not automatically raise bills and, in many cases, supports more efficient recovery of fixed grid costs.
Specifically for Tuckahoe Technology Park, Tract will execute binding agreements with Dominion Energy that include financial obligations for all power infrastructure needed to serve the site.
The Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) contains specific requirements related to generator use for data centers. The Project will be in full compliance with these requirements, which include:
This project, like all data center projects, requires the installation of generators to provide the required back-up power supply to the facility in the unlikely event that the primary power sources are interrupted.
Generators are highly regulated and permitted through federal, state and local regulatory agencies. These agencies dictate elements of use such as frequency of testing, length of testing, and emissions.
Tier 4 or equivalent generators will be used, consistent with the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) requirement. Specific equipment will be determined by the facility operator, but will require compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements. The sound modeling study provided with the submission assumed one generator for every 3.5 MW of power.
Generators are regulated by agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. All generators are required to comply with emissions standards outlined in the Clean Air Act. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regulates emissions, testing schedules, testing requirements, and testing durations. The Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) contains requirements as to the type of generators used and regulations around their use. The project is subject to all of these regulations.
The Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) limits generator testing to two hours per day, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise mandated by The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). A typical generator is required to be tested for up to 30 minutes per month at 30% load. Running generators for testing purposes would adhere to these restrictions.
Generators would also run during power emergency situations, where the facility has lost power. In those emergency situations, the generators would run until power is restored.
In data centers, water is mainly used for the cooling systems needed within the data center buildings. Water is also used in data centers for building chillers, domestic use (sinks, toilets, etc.), required fire flows, and for construction.
Since the pre-application was submitted, Tract has agreed and will agree to a condition that requires that this is an air-cooled/closed loop campus, significantly decreasing the water demands for the project.
With an air-cooled closed loop system, the highest demand is actually created during construction. Projected water demand during full operations is limited to domestic use only, estimated at approximately 12,000 gallons per day (GPD) average day and 28,000 GPD peak day demand. For construction purposes, domestic water demand is estimated at approximately 25,000 GPD average day and 50,000 GPD peak day demand, driven by the large number of workers expected onsite.
For reference, peak day demand refers to the highest demand on the highest day and is not representative of consistent use. By contrast, average demand is more reflective of actual use as it accounts for the mathematical mean of use across all days.
The project has committed to a closed-loop cooling system, which substantially reduces ongoing water demand. By comparison, EPA guidance indicates that a typical family of four uses roughly 333 gallons per day, meaning the project’s average operational demand is comparable to the daily water use of approximately 36 homes.
Under any development scenario, public water infrastructure will need to be extended along Hockett Road from Tuckahoe Creek Parkway to serve the property, which will enhance public water service and redundancy to this area of the County. The piping and any associated systems will be sized to meet both fire flow and operational needs. Tract will continue to work with the County to understand the scope and phasing of these improvements. All required utility improvements to support this project will be paid for by Tract.
The property lies within the Tuckahoe Creek Service District (TCSD), and the project will be provided with domestic water and sanitary sewer service through TCSD. As such, no wells will be drilled and area groundwater will not be used to serve this project. The Project will be fully compliant with the requirements of the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) and all State laws and regulations related to use of public water and discharge of wastewater. The project will not use wells or have any impact on existing wells or groundwater.
No. The system will be designed and constructed to ensure adequate capacity, both volume and system pressure, for all customers, including residential, commercial and this project.
Modern data centers are designed with a wide range of noise-reduction measures, such as sound barriers and insulated walls. Noise from equipment can be mitigated by a wide range of technologies, like sound attenuation louvers, spring vibration isolators, noise absorbent lining and enclosures, mufflers/silencers, acoustical screening walls, berms, and landscaping. Additionally, the orientation of buildings and equipment can be used for screening and to direct noise away from adjacent properties. The project will be designed to ensure compliance with local ordinances.
Many older data centers, like some of those located in Prince William, Loudoun, or other Northern Virginia counties, did not include sound attenuation in their design and construction. A more accurate and recent example of a modern data center design with sound attenuation measures are the facilities at White Oak Technology Park in Henrico County.
The Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) contains specific requirements relative to maximum sound standards of 55 dBA and 65 dBC, measured at the property line. The project will be in full compliance with the requirements of the TOD.
Tract retained Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc. to perform an environmental noise assessment for Tuckahoe Technology Park. The assessment models noise from campus operations, including rooftop chillers, air handling units, generators, and other major equipment.
The assessment models submitted with the application are based on general assumptions, such as a specific type of equipment, the amount of equipment, the location of equipment, and assume certain mitigation measures for purposes of the study.
Regardless of the type or amount of equipment, the operator will be required to install any and all mitigation measures necessary to maintain compliance with the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD).
The operator will be required to install any mitigation measures necessary to maintain compliance with the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) over the life of the project. An additional noise assessment verifying compliance with the standards under peak operating conditions is required by the TOD to be provided to the County within three months of operations being undertaken.
The TOD also requires that additional noise assessment must be provided, at the request of the zoning administrator, when there are alterations to the facility, modification to the operation or equipment, or in order to investigate a complaint that the noise is in violations of these standards; however, no more than four sound studies will be required during any calendar year.
We are proposing primary access from Route 6 through a new median break, subject to Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) approval. Gated emergency access will be provided on Hockett Road at the northern end of the Property. Tract has met with the Fire Department to discuss emergency access and will continue those discussions to ensure that fire and emergency access to this site is compliant with Fire Department requirements.
At this time, all existing residential access on Cobblestone Circle, Fleetwood Lane, Country Club Drive, and Art Road will remain available for residential use.
All development generates some level of automobile trips to and from the facilities that are built. However, data centers have one of the lowest trip generation rates of any commercial land use. The traffic study that was submitted for this development evaluated permanent and construction traffic. The inherently low trip generation of data centers relative to their tax base, especially compared to retail or residential, allows the project to deliver large fiscal benefits with limited incremental congestion.
Yes, construction does generate more traffic than normal operations. The traffic study submitted with the application includes an analysis of construction traffic conditions and any required improvements will be a result of having to accommodate the higher traffic generation associated with construction activities.
A formal Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) has been completed to evaluate background traffic, trip generation, distribution, and needed improvements for both construction and final operational state. The TIA has been submitted to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and to Goochland County for review. Any improvements noted in the TIA shall be paid for by the developer and constructed as part of the Project.
Tract will fund necessary transportation and utility upgrades.
Tract has prepared a viewshed analysis, which was included in the application materials. Based on this analysis, the buildings are screened by the existing topography, existing and proposed vegetated buffers and setbacks, or absolute distance from nearby properties.
The Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD) sets forth specific requirements for setbacks and vegetative buffers for data centers projects. For data centers that have an underlying zoning of A-2 and are adjacent to residentially zoned land, the following setbacks and buffers are required:
The project is fully compliant with these requirements and is not requesting any decrease in the 500-foot requirements for residential adjacency.
Data centers, substations, and other accessory buildings do not emit any odors. However, backup power is provided by diesel generators, and these generators can emit an odor when they are running, not dissimilar to a bus or semi-truck. New generators with modern emission controls like the Tier 4 generators required by the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD), emit far less odor than older or poorly maintained units.
Scientific research has found that the further a person is from the source the more that smell will dissipate based on diffusion and wind movement. As a general rule, smell is half as strong every 10 feet of distance from the source. The required setbacks of 500 feet from residentially zoned land and the requirement that generators are shielded from residential properties by the data center building in addition to the setbacks and buffer all aid in the diffusion of odor molecules. In addition, Tract has agreed to place generator yards no closer than 1,000 feet from existing residential structures in Mosaic at West Creek and no closer than 500 feet from any other residential structures. This additional setback will help to further dissipate any perceptible odor.
There is no established scientific evidence showing that living near a data center, by itself, causes illness. Northern Virginia has the highest concentration of data centers anywhere in the world, and the same region includes some of the healthiest communities in Virginia, with places like Loudoun, Fairfax, Arlington, and Falls Church consistently ranking very highly on widely used health measures.
Any development that results in an increase of impervious surfaces (e.g., roads, parking lots) can result in some minor and highly localized heat island effects, not dissimilar from how your paved driveway or sidewalk may feel warmer than the grass. However, data center development does not result in excessive heat or any increase beyond what is typical for any development. Distance lessens the impact of any potential heat island effects. Think about standing next to your home air conditioning unit; you can feel the heat coming from that piece of equipment. Step back a few feet and the heat decreases. The same would be true with this or any other development.
As with any development, the developer, owner, and/or operator are required to comply with all zoning requirements, approved conditions, and any applicable laws — including the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) and the Goochland County Technology Overlay District (TOD). If a development is not compliant, the County or applicable agency has the authority to issue violations, fines and penalties, or other actions to regain compliance and address any impact from non-compliance. All approvals, conditions, and requirements would run with the property and need to be enforced throughout the life of the project.
Our goal is to support Goochland County’s long-term vision for responsible growth, job creation, and substantial local tax revenues while preserving the character of the surrounding community.