id: qts-ric45-henrico
name: QTS RIC4/RIC5 Expansion
operator: qts
status: announced
location:
  country: US
  state: VA
  county: Henrico
  locality: Varina
metrics:
  land_acres: 1100
  building_sqft: 8000000
  buildings: 17
first_seen: "2026-07-05"
last_updated: "2026-07-05"
confidence: medium
sources:
  - url: https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/henrico-county/qts-data-center-expansion-may-18-2026
    title: "Company looks to add 17 data center buildings to Henrico hub"
    publisher: WTVR CBS 6
    date: "2026-05-18"
    note: "17 new buildings across two campus expansions in Varina; 1,100 acres; ~8M sqft; pre-construction."
  - url: https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/henrico-county/residents-push-back-qts-data-center-expansion-may-19-2026
    title: "Henrico residents push back on data center expansion near White Oak Technology Park"
    publisher: WTVR CBS 6
    date: "2026-05-19"
    note: "17 buildings; 300+ diesel backup generators and 11 cooling towers anticipated; community opposition."
notes: >-
  QTS's two campus expansions (RIC4/RIC5) in Varina, distinct from QTS's
  existing operational White Oak campuses (see qts-richmond-henrico).
  Status recorded as announced (pre-construction); much of the project is
  reportedly approved under pre-2025 zoning.
  Building sqft is ambiguous: WTVR describes ~8M sqft of NEW space, while
  BizSense phrasing (fetch blocked) suggests 8M sqft TOTAL after expansion
  — recorded 8M with this caveat.
  Dedupe caution: RIC5 is reported on Hourigan-rezoned land, overlapping
  the White Oak Technology Park 2 entitlement (see wotp2-henrico); kept as
  a separate operator-specific project record.
  Community opposition reported; 300+ diesel backup generators and 11
  cooling towers anticipated.
signals:
  - sig-20260705-qts-ric45-acres
  - sig-20260705-qts-ric45-buildings-2
  - sig-20260705-qts-ric45-buildings
  - sig-20260705-qts-ric45-sqft
  - sig-20260705-qts-ric45-status