Character of the Area

Chairman Jeff McKay stated “While we are open to data centers in Fairfax County, they only work if they’re in the proper location and have the proper environmental mitigations” and promised to hold data centers to the “highest standards we can possibly foresee”. However the May 17, 2024 Proposed Data Center Zoning Ordinance Amendment is not following the guidelines of the January 9, 2024 Data Center Report and Recommendations to require a Special Exception for all data centers. By continuing to allow data centers by-right, they bypass the Comprehensive Plan guidelines for area character.

Chantilly Mega Data Center Archive (below)

Key Points

• Height of the data center is a threat to airport operations.

• Placing the largest data center in the county near environmentally sensitive areas and residents is not the “proper location”. 

• Size of data center is not sufficiently screened.

• Applicant needs are being prioritized over the guidance of Comprehensive Plan. 

• Routing trucks through the quiet streets of Lafayette Business Park and close to Pleasant Valley homes degrades the character of the area. 

• Additional rooftop lighting requirements are not taken into account before rezoning.

Details

Height of the data center is a threat to airport operations. The Airport Authority issued a statement that the data center building height “comes very close to a critical air navigation surface. If this surface is penetrated there will be adverse impacts to airport operations.” With the elevation of the property at 250 to 260-feet, the additional 110-foot building height could easily put it over the maximum limit of 364 feet above sea level. FAA has indicated they can recommend height reductions but cannot enforce them and admitted some localities allow buildings to encroach into critical air space. Why take this risk?

Placing the largest data center in the county near environmentally sensitive areas and residents is not the “proper location”. Chairman Jeff McKay stated “While we are open to data centers in Fairfax County, they only work if they’re in the proper location and have the proper environmental mitigations”. Why is rezoning the land to a more industrial use near an environmentally sensitive stream valley area and residences to accommodate a more industrial use considered the proper location? The required new substation, large amounts of diesel fuel, noise and air pollution, from the data center or warehouse are environmentally worse than the currently approved dealership.

Size of data center is not sufficiently screened. The Staff Report concludes that “Tree preservation along Route 50 and within the Cub Run Stream Valley will sufficiently screen the view of the data center from adjacent properties including Pleasant Valley.” The county has based its conclusion on the tree cover but since the data center would tower over the tree tops by 50 feet or more and many homes in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood are at the topographical elevation of 60 feet above the applicant property, and the trees are deciduous then when those trees lose their leaves for nearly half the year the data center will be seen and heard. 

Although the Staff Report indicates "The existing trees at 40-50 feet in height would obstruct the majority of the proposed data center", it is clear that the massive size: 644 feet in length and 220 feet in width (not including the generator yard), and 110 feet in height of the proposed data center, would be visible from many locations throughout the area. The data center will be the tallest building by far for miles, irreparably changing the character of the area, and will make more noise from the rooftop HVACs than any existing data center.

How is this “sufficiently” screened?

Applicant needs are being prioritized over the guidance of Comprehensive Plan. The site for this application is in Land Unit H of the Comprehensive Plan which has a maximum intensity of 0.35 FAR. At 110-feet tall, the data center building at 0.8 FAR will not only exceed the height of the tallest buildings in Land Unit H by 35 feet or more but will tower over and dwarf the adjacent buildings that are less than 30 feet (Ourisman Toyota 26 feet, Sheehy Infinity 28.7 feet, Rosenthal Jaguar / Landrover 27.4 feet) by at least 80 feet. The county argues that I-5 and an obscure Route 28 Tax District designation allows this but the county is setting aside the Comprehensive Plan to allow the developer to dictate the character of the area with little or no regard for residents, businesses or environment.

Routing trucks through the quiet streets of Lafayette Business Park and close to Pleasant Valley homes degrades the character of the area. Requiring semi-trucks to route through the Lafayette Business Park brings Rt. 50 to our doorstep, which conflicts with the low-intensity industrial use of the business park and degrades the character of the area.

Additional rooftop lighting requirements are not taken into account before rezoning. Flashing lights on the rooftops, which the FAA may require at site plan, will also be visible and affect the higher elevation of the Pleasant Valley neighborhood. Again, raising concerns about violating Appendix 12: “Noise, light and other environmental impacts should be examined to ensure that surrounding uses are not negatively impacted by this higher intensity.”