Commissioners reject data center/residential combo

But accept dense housing in the Transition Policy Area

By Reed Carver 

On Feb. 8, two development companies pitched applications to the Loudoun County Planning Commission.

The first, Innovation Gateway, applied to build a combination community park, residences and two data centers in the Urban Transit Center Place Type. This project would require re-zoning.

The second, Arcola Farms, applied to build a dense neighborhood in the Transition Policy Area, at the intersection of Evergreen Mills and Ryan Road.

The Commissioners unanimously rejected the first application, but passed the second 6-2, with conditions. Michelle Frank (Chair-Broad Run) and Ad Barnes (Leesburg) gave the opposing votes.  

The Innovation Gateway application totals approximately 29 acres, with about two-thirds or 700,000 sq. ft. for data center usage. The site is in Sterling, at the corner of Rt. 28 and Old Ox Road. The applicant also requested an increase in housing density from 0.6 Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to 1.0 FAR. Used to analyze density, FAR is calculated using the floor area of buildings on the lot divided by the total area of the lot.

Staff recommended denial on the first application because non-residential uses so close to transit areas are inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan.

The only public comments were from Tia Earman, with PEC. “We cannot support more data centers; we highly recommend rejecting this request,” she said, referring to the demand such a project would place on the grid. If this were built, the precious land could not be used for Urban Transit Centers, nor would it have residential uses, said Earman. 

“This is trying to density-pack data centers,” Earman added. “We [PEC] wonder how reducing green and open spaces serves our community.” The proposal was in direct opposition to the goals of the Comprehensive Plan, she said.

Tony Calabrese, representing the applicant, said construction measures would be taken to reduce noise from data centers. He said there would be a park with trails next to the apartments. The company modified their proposal several times to create a compromise, he noted.

Nevertheless, “if this happens, this will be doomed to be an area filled with data centers,” said Robin-Eve Jasper (Little River). The decibels may be too high for human health and the housing included will attract those who can’t afford single family homes, she said.

Ad Barnes said when the main electric power to data centers turns off, generators kick in, and this process creates noise which would disturb the residents — even sometimes in the middle of the night. “I cannot get over the fact that this is a UTC area and we’re trying to build data centers,” Barnes said.

Eric Combs (Vice Chair-Ashburn) commented, “We somehow need more robust conversations on how these uses might coexist,” he said, referring to data centers being incorporated with residential areas. “For that reason, I’m not going to support this.”

It unanimously failed to pass. 

Referencing the Arcola Farms residential application, Tia Earman said, “The TPA [Transition Policy Area] is intended to be a visual and a spatial transition from the urban east, to the rural west … this application is not in keeping with the rules of the TPA, nor with the small lot neighborhood place type. It inappropriately sacrifices the open space aesthetic, tree canopy, and unique look and feel … in favor of too much density for the vision and guidance of our county documents.”

Loudoun, if they adhere to their documents, is gifted with the ability to offer rural and suburban spaces to residents. If not, they will be reduced to “a one-size fits all suburban sprawl,” she concluded.

The Arcola Farms application is a request for re-zoning of 80 acres from Transitional Residential [TR-10] to Single Family Residential.

The change would be necessary to build 307 houses on 80 acres, equaling a density of 3.82 houses per acre, which a Transitional Residential zoning will not allow. The applicant also wants to be released from meeting requirements of lot width, garage setbacks, front and side yard sizes, limited impervious surfaces, and planting street trees.

Michelle Frank analyzed the surrounding neighborhoods to see if this proposal would fulfil the Comprehensive Plan’s intent to fade urban places into rural ones, particularly in this area [the TPA]. If this was a rural village, she said, only 64 houses would be allowed on 80 acres.

“To the immediate north on Ryan Road we have a TR-10 development, so it’s 0.1 units per acre … the most dense thing around is a PDRV, with the 80% option so it’s going to be at 4.0, but with 80% open space, which gets you to that 64 number. To the west is Willowsford, which is TR-3, so about 0.33 of a unit per acre,” Frank said.

Part of the argument from developers is that this neighborhood is meant to be an extension of Brambleton, which is adjacent to the southeast. Twelve and a half percent, or 39 units, will be affordable housing, which is the basic requirement of the ordinance.  

“We want to highlight there is a more than a one-acre park in the center. Front doors literally lead out into this space,” said Colleen Gillis, an attorney representing the developers. “We are providing more than is required because it [each Affordable Dwelling Unit] is not an apartment, but is an actual detached home,” she added.

“I think it is a denser layout than would be preferred,” Jasper said. “Even though these are single units they feel more like attached, they will be really reliant on the public space, that’s going to be their only outdoor space. I think this space will be stressed, because there isn’t a lot of common area.”  

“On Evergreen Mills, is where we are making the transition. The buffers are incredibly important there, and what’s going to be behind the buffers is a very dense development. You’re going to be driving down Evergreen Mills and see a suburban style neighborhood in what’s supposed to be a rural area,” Jasper added.

A large swath of open space curves through the neighborhood. Nothing can be built there because it is a floodplain. It is presented as open green space, but its social use is limited because of its draining function. The neighborhood density is calculated from the gross area of the site, including the floodplain. “If you take out the floodplain [and evaluate density based on usable land] you’re at 4.8 units per acre,” Jasper concluded.

Mark Miller (Catoctin) said he thinks the use of different lot sizes and integration of the floodplain as an open space make this neighborhood innovative. The floodplain can still be used as open space most of the time, “because it is not a wetland,” he argued. He concluded that the proximity to four high schools makes it a sensible addition to the area.

Robin-Eve Jasper supported the proposal, with Eric Combs’ change — adhering to the required buffers. Madhava Madireddy (Dulles) supported it as well. “I would have liked some redesign …. I wanted some more open space,” but he said he was persuaded by the developer’s proffer to build supporting infrastructure on Ryan Road, saving the county $17 million.

“It has feasible market-rate affordability,” said Combs, and the developer can build them faster than the county. “We need to pay for them, [ADUs] and we pay with more density. But the place type is consistent with more density.”

“I love ADUs being put on the market,” Michelle Frank said. “But this would be less than 1 unit per acre if it was in the Rural Policy Area, to the west, about a third of the unit per acre. But we are at 3.8 … right up against 0.1, 0.33, [surrounding low density].”

“We’re not close enough … I have pause about it just not meeting the plan. This is in the TPA, and just doesn’t feel TPA to me.”

Six commissioners moved Arcola Farms forward to the Board of Supervisors with recommendation of approval. Even though commissioners recommended denial for Innovation Gateway, the authority to approve an application lies with the Board of Supervisors. Their public hearing for both applications is tentatively scheduled for April 10, beginning at 6 p.m.