Loudoun County votes down proposal to bring new data center facility to Belmont

LEESBURG, Va. (DC News Now) — In a late-night vote following an hours-long public hearing, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to block a controversial data center proposal.

If passed, the plan would have allowed 2.9 million square feet of data centers to be built on 112 acres of land adjacent to Belmont Ridge Road. Based on the property’s current zoning restrictions, about 1.3 million square feet of data centers can currently be built.

Before the vote, opponents of the plan rallied in front of the Loudoun County Government Center, raising concerns about the strain that could be caused to the power grid if the county were to allow the additional 2.9 million square feet of data centers to be constructed.

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According to Loudoun County Economic Development, the county already has more than 30 million square feet of operational data centers — it is largely called the ‘data center capital of the world.’

Last year, DC News Now learned through a Freedom of Information Act request that Loudoun County data center tax assessments jumped from $146.9 million in 2016 to $663 million in 2022.

“We can’t power the data centers we have now and to change the zoning on land to increase the amount of data centers in this particular application seems irresponsible,” said John Lovegrove, chairman of Loudoun’s Future, at the rally.

When the new rezoning was proposed, thus increasing the scope of the project, the applicant increased the environmental protections, drawing some support. It included protections for nearby Goose Creek and solar panels.

“This is by far the best, most environmentally-friendly, sensitive application that we have received,” Supervisor Kristen Umstattd said when explaining her support for the plan.

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