Behind the generative AI boom is a rush to build the data centers and server farms that power them—snapping up land, straining power and water systems, and fueling bitter local fights .

But in Henrico County, VA , leaders have taken a radically different approach.

They are turning this AI-era infrastructure into a pipeline for affordable homes by taking new tax dollars from data centers, and using it to buy down the price of homes for first-time buyers.

At a groundbreaking for one of those projects, Sen. Mark Warner didn’t mince words:

“Your county is doing as innovative a project as anything I’ve seen, not only in Virginia , but in the country,” he said.

“People in the housing industry across the nation are looking at you.”

Henrico County is channeling new tax revenue

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