Future development in Loudoun must align with our values

Dear Editor:

Loudoun’s Future PAC is thrilled that the Board of Supervisors rejected the proposed Belmont Innovation Campus data center project this month. This decision represents a triumph for residents who have long voiced concerns about the unchecked expansion of data centers in our area and the associated strain on our electrical infrastructure and environment. 

We set out to stop the proposed 4.8M sq ft. data center because the developer was seeking approval for 4.8 million square feet, far exceeding the permitted by-right size of around 1.3 million square feet. Loudoun’s Future worked diligently to review the development applications, and when we found problems or errors, we met with individual supervisors to explain those mistakes and suggest ways to correct them.  

We’ve maintained throughout our campaign that while we were opposed to the Belmont Campus, we weren’t opposed to well-planned data centers in our County. Loudoun’s Future sees the benefits data centers bring to our County such as increased tax revenue and job creation. 

What we have consistently opposed is the haphazard approach to data center development, the overwhelming size of hyperscale centers and the rubberstamping of requests for Special Exceptions that enable developers to build far larger projects that zoning and the General Plan envision. That has gotten us into the overdevelopment we’re experiencing today.

While data centers bring benefits, they also come with many potential problems: increased noise, environmental impacts, rezoning, strains to our electrical grids, and new transmission lines.

The Board’s disapproval of the Belmont scheme not only represents a crucial win for our community’s well-being, it also signifies a commitment to preserving our landscape and heritage.  

Those in the eastern part of the county have taken the brunt of new data center development. We see them popping up within a few hundred feet of residential neighborhoods, taking away forests, greenery, and parks for our children. Loudoun’s Future’s goal is county-wide, opposing objectionable data centers in the east, and helping fight sprawl in the west.

We believe that Supervisors heard the objections to Belmont and were impressed that they represented a countywide unity. In fact, the number of citizens at the Belmont hearing is what flipped the decisive vote.

Let us all work together – along with the Board of Supervisors – to ensure that development across our county is well planned with the future in mind. 

As we celebrate the rejection of the Belmont proposal, we must remain vigilant in ensuring that future development in Loudoun County aligns with our values and respects the needs of our community.  

John Lovegrove, Loudoun’s Future Chairman