During the March 19, 2024, business meeting, the majority of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors who were present voted to reconsider its previous vote on March 13 to deny a data center application known as the Belmont Innovation Campus (LEGI-2023-0048, Belmont Innovation Campus). As a result, the Board may approve or deny an amended application on the same project. The revived proposal is scheduled to be heard during the Board’s April 10, 2024, public hearing.
“After the Board voted to deny the application, we heard from the applicant who agreed to reduce the proposed data center facility to the size it has the authority to build without any approvals from the Board,” said Ashburn District Supervisor Mike Turner, in whose district the proposed project would be located. “This was one of the most environmentally conscious data center applications the Board had ever seen; the concessions the applicant is still offering for a data center that will be built regardless of the Board’s vote are important to secure for our community.”
About the Application
The original proposal at the Belmont Innovation Campus included requests to rezone 70 acres of land on which nearly 4 million square feet of data centers would be constructed. The applicant also offered to dedicate public right-of-way and construct certain road improvements, construct public park improvements, and agreed to other concessions that would help protect the nearby Goose Creek. During the March 13 public hearing, the majority of the Board voted to deny the application based, in part, on the reasonableness of existing by-right uses, incompatibility with existing residential development, and the need for additional high-voltage transmission lines.
The Belmont Innovation Campus applicant, Todd Aaron and Loudoun GC, LLC, informed members of the Board of an intent to reduce the total square footage of data center facilities to the 1.3 million square feet allowed by-right, while still offering to accommodate the future Gloucester Parkway extension, maintain the proposed architectural design, and maintain increased buffers between the facilities and the Goose Creek.
The details of an amended application, including associated proffers, must still be finalized prior to the April 10 public hearing, at which time the Board will consider an amended application. New information regarding the application will be posted on the county’s website in advance of the public hearing at loudoun.gov/bosdocuments.
Public Hearing
The public hearing will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St. SE in Leesburg. Members of the public may sign up in advance to provide input to the Board. More information about providing public input is posted online at loudoun.gov/signuptospeak.
Residents may contact members of the board at any time by phone and email. Contact information is posted at loudoun.gov/bos.
The public may watch the public hearing on cable TV (Comcast Channel 23 or Verizon FiOS Channel 40) or online at loudoun.gov/meetings.
About Future Data Center Development
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