Shenandoah County is preparing to draft its first rules for data centers, focusing on water use, noise control and land protections as officials aim to avoid the kinds of disputes that have dogged Northern Virginia communities as the burgeoning industry advances through Virginia.

The county’s approach was outlined in a Sept. 4 presentation by Community Development Director Lemuel Hancock to the Planning Commission, in materials the county shared with the Northern Virginia Daily, and in follow-up conversations with county officials, giving insight into how Shenandoah might regulate the industry before it fully arrives.

“[Northern Virginia communities] are five, six, 10 years ahead of where we are,” Hancock said during the Planning Commission meeting. “Let’s learn from what they are doing

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