From AI to Front Royal: Virginia Author Examines Data Centers, Water, and the Future of Local Communities

When a neighbor asked Jo Massanari about a proposed data center near her home in Goshen, Virginia, she had a question of her own.

“What is a data center?”

It was a surprising question from someone who had spent much of her career working in technology. But Massanari, who has worked with technology startups since the early days of the commercial internet, admits she knew little about the massive facilities that now support much of the digital world.

That conversation in March 2026 sent her on an unexpected journey. What began as an effort to understand data centers grew into an examination of artificial intelligence, electricity demands, water consumption, and the potential effects of industrial development on rural communities.

It also led to a book titled The Last Window, which she recently discussed during an interview at the Royal Examiner studio.

Now, Massanari has taken her research a step further, preparing a detailed report examining data center development within roughly 50 miles of Front Royal. The report focuses on the town’s recent decision to prohibit data centers, the history behind that decision, and why the surrounding Shenandoah Valley remains an attractive location for future development.

For Massanari, the question is no longer simply what artificial intelligence can do. It is what communities may be asked to sacrifice to support it.

An Unexpected Conversation With Artificial Intelligence

Massanari said she had been reluctant to use AI, even though the technology company she works for had encouraged employees to explore it.

Then, around 3 a.m. one morning, she opened an AI program and began asking questions about data centers. She approached it like an encyclopedia, expecting to find basic information.

Instead, the answers led to more questions.

Her husband joined the conversation, followed by the neighbor who had first raised the issue. Over several days, they continued exploring the technology and the infrastructure needed to support it.

“The answers were really kind of shocking to me and very unsettling,” Massanari recalled.

Eventually, she asked the AI program to organize the conversation into a book so she could preserve what had happened.

The result was The Last Window, an examination of artificial intelligence, the growing resources it requires, and the changes Massanari believes could follow.

The project has an unusual twist. Massanari used artificial intelligence to help investigate the very technology she was questioning.

She continues to use multiple AI programs for research, although she emphasizes the importance of checking their responses and asking for supporting evidence.

Through that process, she became increasingly interested in data centers.

“It’s a book about AI, but it’s mostly a book about what supports AI,” she explained during the interview.

Front Royal’s Decision Becomes a Case Study

Massanari’s latest report, Data Center Infrastructure: Front Royal, Virginia — 50-Mile Scan, examines what she considers one of the strongest examples of a community taking action against unwanted data center development.

On October 26, 2026, the Front Royal Town Council voted unanimously to prohibit data centers within town limits.

The decision followed months of discussion and significant public opposition.

At a June 22 public hearing, an estimated 350 residents and other attendees packed the Warren County Government Center. Speakers raised concerns about water use, electricity demand, noise, potential environmental impacts, and how large industrial buildings could affect the town’s character.

The hearing continued well past midnight.

Council members ultimately rejected a proposal that would have allowed data centers in an industrial district through a special-use permit. Instead, they directed town staff and the Planning Commission to prepare language prohibiting them.

On July 29, the Planning Commission unanimously recommended a definition of data centers and an accompanying prohibition. The council completed the process with its October vote.

As Councilman Glenn Wood observed during the final discussion, the public had made its position clear: data centers were not welcome.

Massanari praised the town’s willingness to listen to residents.

“I was so proud of Front Royal to see on October 26 that they ratified and agreed to that,” she said.

Her report also examines why the ordinance’s language matters. Rather than simply restricting companies that identify themselves as data centers, the town sought to distinguish large-scale data processing facilities from ordinary technology businesses.

That distinction is important because many businesses use computers and servers without operating anything resembling a large commercial data center.

The report describes draft definitions based on a facility’s electrical demand, cooling equipment, and computing space. Massanari argues that measurable standards make it more difficult for a large facility to avoid restrictions simply by using a different name.

However, the report acknowledges that the draft language it reviewed should be checked against the final adopted ordinance.

Not everyone involved in the town’s review favored an outright ban.

Planning Director Lauren Kopishke recommended defining data centers while retaining the ability to consider them through special-use permits and restrictive conditions. She argued that this approach could give the town greater control over individual proposals.

The council ultimately chose prohibition instead.

Why Water Is Such a Concern in Front Royal

One of the strongest local connections in Massanari’s report involves the Shenandoah River.

Most of Front Royal’s municipal water comes from the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, supplemented by Happy Creek and Sloan Creek. The town operates a treatment plant rated to supply up to 6 million gallons of drinking water per day.

That capacity is especially important during droughts, when river levels drop, and water conservation becomes necessary.

The concern is not hypothetical for Front Royal residents.

On November 6, the town again requested voluntary water conservation after flows in the South Fork fell below 400 cubic feet per second, triggering requirements under the town’s water withdrawal permit.

Massanari argues that adding a major industrial water user could create additional challenges during periods when water supplies are already under pressure.

However, data centers do not all use the same amount of water. Some rely on evaporative cooling that consumes substantial amounts, while others use closed-loop or air-based systems that require much less water during regular operation.

Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission estimated that data centers statewide consumed approximately 2.1 billion gallons of water in 2023. Although that accounted for less than half of 1% of all water withdrawals in Virginia, consumption varied considerably between facilities.

For Massanari, those differences make it important to examine each proposed development carefully, rather than assuming all data centers have the same environmental impact.

Her report also raises another issue familiar to longtime Front Royal residents: the former Avtex Fibers property.

For decades, the 440-acre industrial complex manufactured rayon and other synthetic materials. Waste disposal practices contaminated soil, groundwater, and the Shenandoah River, leading to the property’s inclusion on the federal Superfund list in 1986.

An extensive cleanup followed, including removing contaminated material, treating groundwater, and closing former waste disposal areas.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to oversee the site’s environmental responsibilities.

Massanari sees Avtex as a reminder that decisions involving major industrial development can affect a community long after a facility stops operating.

The former plant’s history does not mean a modern data center would create the same pollution. But she believes the experience gives Front Royal residents good reason to ask detailed questions about water use, construction, long-term maintenance, and environmental safeguards.

For her, the lesson is that communities should understand the potential consequences before approving major developments, rather than trying to address problems afterward.

Data Center Development Does Not Stop at Town Limits

Although Front Royal has prohibited data centers within its boundaries, Massanari’s report points out that the town’s decision does not control development in Warren County or neighboring localities.

That distinction was an important part of her interview with the Royal Examiner.

The county faced its own data center proposal this year when Rushmark Properties sought zoning changes and a conditional-use permit for a project on Rockland Road.

Following public opposition and a recommendation against the zoning amendment from the Warren County Planning Commission, the company withdrew its applications in August.

The county has not adopted the same townwide prohibition used by Front Royal, leaving future proposals subject to its own zoning rules and review procedures.

Other communities in the northern Shenandoah Valley face similar questions.

In nearby Strasburg, a proposed development known as Project Tallmadge has sparked considerable discussion about electricity production, water needs, air quality, and impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

The multibillion-dollar proposal includes data center buildings and plans for on-site natural gas power generation. Its developer has described a closed-loop cooling system intended to limit ongoing water consumption.

Supporters point to construction employment, investment, and potential tax revenue. Residents have raised questions about noise, emissions, and the development’s long-term effects.

Farther east, Loudoun and Prince William counties are part of the region commonly called Data Center Alley, home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of data centers.

Massanari believes continued expansion of that industry could increase development pressure on the Shenandoah Valley.

Her 50-mile report examines those regional connections, along with Front Royal’s location near Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, where tourism, natural scenery, and outdoor recreation are important parts of the local economy.

She argues the question is not simply whether a community can accommodate a data center, but whether the development fits what residents want their community to become.

Can Front Royal’s Ban Last?

Massanari’s report also addresses a question that could become important in the years ahead: How secure is a local prohibition?

Virginia law gives local governments authority over land use through zoning, but that authority operates within limits established by the state.

Her report concludes that Front Royal’s decision to amend its zoning ordinance gives the prohibition stronger legal footing than relying solely on a temporary application moratorium.

At the same time, Massanari acknowledges that local zoning restrictions are not necessarily permanent. Future changes in state law, litigation, or decisions by a later Town Council could alter the situation.

Those are legal possibilities, not indications that the town’s prohibition is currently invalid.

For Massanari, the broader lesson is that public involvement cannot end after a single vote.

She encourages residents to continue following local government decisions, studying proposed projects, and asking questions about environmental protections and infrastructure costs.

“You can’t make decisions without information,” she said.

She also believes the technology industry should invest more effort in finding ways to operate data centers with less disruption to surrounding communities.

“I am not against data centers, even though it may seem like I am,” Massanari said. “What I’m against is creating a data center that’s so destructive.”

Finding Hope in the Community

Despite the concerns raised in The Last Window, Massanari says the book ends on a hopeful note.

That hope comes from communities.

She has been working with residents in several Virginia counties, including Highland, Botetourt, and Augusta, sharing research and discussing ways local ordinances might address concerns surrounding data center development.

She believes people are beginning to recognize the importance of understanding what is being proposed in their communities and working together before major decisions are made.

“And it always comes back to community,” she said.

Massanari hopes readers of The Last Window will consider both the possibilities artificial intelligence offers and the responsibilities that come with building the infrastructure to support it.

The title reflects her belief that communities still have an opportunity to influence how this technology develops and how its effects are managed.

Her story began with a question about a data center near her farm. It has since become a broader effort to understand how decisions made by the technology industry could affect people far beyond Silicon Valley.

In Front Royal, where hundreds of residents turned out to express their concerns and the Town Council ultimately acted, Massanari sees an example of what can happen when a community gets involved.

The future of artificial intelligence may be shaped by some of the world’s largest technology companies. But the decisions about what gets built in a particular community still involve the people who live there.

That, Massanari believes, is a responsibility worth taking seriously.

Meet the Author November 14

Jo Massanari will discuss The Last Window and sign copies of her book on Saturday, November 14, from noon to 3 p.m., at Royal Oak Bookshop in Front Royal.

The event offers readers a chance to meet the author, learn more about her research, and discuss questions surrounding artificial intelligence and data center development.

Additional information about the book is available at www.thelastwindow.com.

Town Talk, sponsored by National Media Services, Inc., is a Royal Examiner series that introduces you to local entrepreneurs, business owners, nonprofit leaders, and public officials shaping Warren County. Conversations cover a wide range of topics about our community and the people making a difference.