On March 15, 2024, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors voted 5-4 to deny the Belmont Innovation Campus rezoning application for 2.9 million square feet of data center space on 112 acres along Belmont Ridge Rd. The applicant has since asked for a reconsideration of the vote, and the Board of Supervisors will be revisiting the revised proposal at its public hearing at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10 at the Loudoun County Government Center. Sign up to speak →
The original proposal for the Belmont Innovation Campus included a request to rezone 70 acres of land adjacent to Goose Creek on which 4.8 million square feet of data centers would be constructed. While the square footage has been reduced to 1.3 million over a series of back-and-forths, the rezoning still doubles the acreage available for industrial data center development over what's allowed by-right. And there's no independent comparison of the proffers versus what could be allowed by-right under the new standards. The conventional wisdom that a rezoning is more protective may not actually be true in this case. Since the Board hasn't asked staff to perform a side-by-side analysis of the two scenarios, there isn't an objective basis to compare the outcomes for Loudoun residents. At the very least, the Board should ask for this analysis.
We continue to believe the County should not give companies permission to expand data center development beyond what they can build by-right. With every new data center expansion approved by the Board of Supervisors, Loudoun is further committing itself to expensive infrastructure, negative effects on local communities, more pollution and climate impacts. These are costs that all Loudoun residents and Virginians will bear.
Use this template to send a letter to the Board of Supervisors expressing your concerns regarding the application. Feel encouraged to add your own comments about the proposal and data center development in Loudoun County in general.
Please note: This online form will only work for those with a valid Loudoun County address.