Law360 quoted McGuireWoods partner Greg Riegle in an Oct. 8, 2025, story on the increased challenges data center projects face to win local regulatory approvals.
Based in Tysons, Virginia, Riegle co-leads the firm’s Real Estate Transactions Practice Group and leads its data centers practice area. Because local officials and residents subject data centers to greater scrutiny, data center applicants and their counsel must prepare meticulously to answer questions from local officials, counter public opposition and get their message out to the community, Riegle said.
For example, he said, “If you walk into a room of decision-makers or stakeholders without an answer on power and utility infrastructure, you’re going to be on the back foot from the beginning.” He added that social media and local news platforms are just as important as public meetings to persuade the community.
Riegle emphasized that lawyers representing data centers should ensure that local permitting processes are followed correctly. “The specific protocol varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but I think history shows that opponents to land use decisions, the first place they’re going to go is: Was there a procedural flaw in the action that was taken, and can we stop it or get another look at it on that basis?”
McGuireWoods has advised data center developers and operators for more than 25 years. The firm has facilitated the development of millions of square feet of new data center space in markets throughout the country.