By Valerie Cury

Standing near a 57-acre property in Broadlands where nearly 800,000 square feet of data center development is proposed, Loudoun County Supervisor Juli Briskman (D-Algonkian) brought her campaign for chair of the Board of Supervisors to Ashburn on Tuesday, Nov. 10, challenging county leadership over decisions she said have allowed data centers to expand near established neighborhoods and schools.

Briskman spoke outside the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building, surrounded by residents and joined by School Board Chair April Chandler. The event placed residents’ concerns about data center development near homes and schools at the forefront.

“We have 53 million square feet of data center on the ground right now,” Briskman said. “That’s 920 football fields. When is enough enough?”

Briskman is challenging current Chair Phyllis Randall, who is also seeking reelection. She said her campaign would focus on changing the county’s approach to development, increasing transparency and reducing its reliance on data center tax revenue, while promoting economic diversification and businesses that create jobs.

The nearby Broadlands property has become a focal point for residents concerned about industrial-scale development. CyrusOne plans approximately 784,000 square feet of data center space and additional office space on land previously zoned for office park development.

The property was previously the subject of a residential proposal known as Hyde Park, which would have permitted as many as 779 homes. Although the Planning Commission recommended approval, the application never received a final vote from the Board.

Derrick Robinson, a Broadlands father and founder of Loudoun Data Center Watch, criticized the Board’s handling of the proposal. He said Supervisor Michael Turner initially moved to defer the vote, with Supervisor Sylvia Glass seconding the motion, and that Randall subsequently delayed consideration.

Robinson said the application was left off the agenda in October, deferred in November and delayed again in December, despite county staff indicating it was ready for a vote.

The developer eventually withdrew the application, and CyrusOne subsequently purchased the property for $119 million.

Robinson argued that approving the residential rezoning would have prevented CyrusOne from pursuing the data center development under the property’s previous office park zoning.

He cited county figures showing permitted data center floor space increasing from approximately 18.3 million square feet in 2019 to 53 million square feet in 2025.

“This happened on their watch,” Robinson said.

Robinson also criticized the Board’s March 2025 grandfathering resolution, which allowed qualifying data center applications already in the approval process to continue under previous zoning rules without a new public hearing or Board vote.

In October, the Board voted 7-2 to indefinitely table a proposed independent audit of grandfathered applications. Briskman and Little River District Supervisor Laura TeKrony opposed tabling the review.

County staff had identified 15 applications still under review, involving approximately 10.5 million square feet of proposed data center space. Supporters of the audit argued that an independent review was necessary to determine whether the applications continued to qualify, while opponents questioned its expense and effectiveness.

For Broadlands resident Dominika Codette, the dispute is more personal.

Codette moved to Broadlands two years ago with her two children, expecting a peaceful residential neighborhood with access to Loudoun’s public schools.

“When choosing the home, I never imagined that I would be faced with a situation where there is a data center nearby,” she said.

Codette said she was shocked to learn of plans involving three data center buildings, a substation and 85 diesel generators near her neighborhood. After discovering that many longtime residents were unaware of the proposal, she organized a petition that has collected more than 2,400 signatures.

“A data center of this size doesn’t belong in a residential community,” she said.

School Board Chair April Chandler broadened the discussion to the electrical infrastructure required to support Loudoun’s growing data center industry.

Chandler, who represents the Algonkian District on the School Board, said she never expected power transmission lines and substations to occupy so much of her attention as an elected official.

She referenced the Golden-to-Mars transmission line controversy and the prospect of placing major electrical infrastructure on school property.

While acknowledging the financial contributions and partnerships data center companies have provided to Loudoun’s schools, Chandler called for better planning and a balance between development and community needs.

“I just don’t understand how we got here without a plan,” she said.

Briskman outlined initiatives she has pursued during her tenure, including efforts to restrict data center locations, reconsider grandfathering provisions, challenge older office park zoning interpretations and establish a temporary pause on certain new data center and substation applications.

She said the proposed pause could have been brought to a vote on Oct. 20, but Randall deferred consideration for another month.

“But again, the chair used her gavel to unilaterally defer that vote by a month,” Briskman said.

She urged the Board to keep the proposal on its Nov. 17 agenda.

Briskman also criticized the tabling of the grandfathering initiative she pursued with TeKrony, saying it was effectively dead unless members of the Board majority agreed to reconsider it.

She discussed her involvement in challenging a longstanding zoning interpretation that had allowed data centers on certain office-designated properties, including the former George Washington University campus in Ashburn, where Amazon had pursued data center development before announcing a different direction for the site.

Briskman also cited her efforts to accelerate the payoff of the Rt. 28 tax district, which she said would help restrict by-right data center development along that corridor.

Briskman pointed to a series of data center projects she said Randall had voted to approve, including JK Technology Park, Hiddenwood Assemblage, Maries Road, Beaumeade Circle, Greenlin Park and Zebra East.

“I could go on,” Briskman said.

During questions from reporters, Briskman was asked whether Loudoun had become too dependent on data center tax revenue.

She estimated that the industry accounts for approximately 48% of the county’s revenue and called that level of dependence fiscally irresponsible.

Asked what authority the Board has to stop CyrusOne from proceeding under grandfathering provisions, Briskman suggested persuasion and transparent discussions involving the community.

“I think persuasion, but I also think that any discussions or plans, or any negotiations should be transparent and involve the community,” she said. “There shouldn’t be backroom deals.”

Near the end of the press conference, a resident read a question written by her son, asking what Briskman would change about the county’s development policies, given that she had served on the Board during substantial data center growth.

Briskman returned to the Hyde Park proposal, saying that had she been chair, the residential application would have been brought to a vote.

“If I were chair of the county, we would have voted on that residential application and not let it slide because we knew that a data center was sniffing around to buy that property,” she said.

She also said district supervisors should be included in negotiations affecting their constituents, arguing that excluding them effectively silences the residents they represent.

Briskman emphasized diversifying Loudoun’s economy through tourism and businesses that create jobs, strengthening cooperation with Virginia General Assembly members and challenging the county sheriff’s immigration enforcement practices.

“I think that Loudoun County is ready in general for more progressive leadership. They no longer want a moderate voice,” she said.

Briskman called on CyrusOne to reconsider its Broadlands development and urged county leaders to include residents in decisions affecting their neighborhoods.

“I think that we have time to plan to make sure that even if we don’t build one more data center in this county, that we can plan to diversify our economy, bring more jobs to the county, and just stop building data centers,” she said.