Stop The Madness: Vote ‘no’ on Belmont Innovation Center Data Center

Dear Editor:

I was surprised to see an item on the January 10^th Board of Supervisors meeting entitled “Belmont Innovation Center.” Sounds innocuous enough, right? Well, the devil is in the details. It turns out that the “Belmont Innovation Center” is the largest data center ever proposed in this country. And it is proposed right here in Loudoun County.

The proposed data center is almost 5 million sq feet. Loudoun county currently has 25 million sq feet of data centers. This new project would increase that by almost 20%. Where will the power come from? The application doesn’t say. But aren’t we out of power? We need to build the much-hated transmission lines across Western Loudoun to serve these centers already. Why are we building more?

Is this a so-called “by right” data center, meaning the Board of Supervisors can’t stop it because the land has been zoned for uses like this? No, in fact, it has to be rezoned, and it has to have special exceptions to reach this size. Meaning the Board can simply vote ‘no.’ No explanation required, but the Board seems like they will approve it anyway.

The application is for 110 acres. Seventy of those acres require rezoning to allow a data center to be built on this land.  It also asks for a Special Exception (SPEX) to increase the amount of floor space allowed on the property so they can make the data center consume even more energy. Neither one of these applications need to be approved, and the Board is well within its authority to disapprove the application.

I am calling on the Board to draw the line here. We cannot allow the country’s largest data center to be built here when we don’t know if we can provide the power, even with new transmission lines. This proposed building, at five million square feet, is almost the size of the Pentagon. Not to mention, it is on the banks of Goose Creek, one of our county’s great and scenic natural resources. We can stop this here and now if our Supervisors listen to the overwhelming message from their constituents, and do the right thing. Vote no on rezoning for Belmont Innovation Center. Stop The Madness!

John Lovegrove, Chairman of Loudoun’s Future