An office complex in Tysons that currently hosts some data centers could become exclusively devoted to processing digital data, if its current owner secures Fairfax County’s approval.
Serverfarm, a California-based operator that appears to be making its first foray into the D.C. region, applied earlier this year for a special exception that would allow it to replace the existing, “groaning” office buildings at 7990 and 7980 Quantum Drive with a “completely modernized” data center.
“Serverfarm designs and delivers bespoke facilities to meet the specific needs of its customers in each of the areas it serves,” land use attorney Jill Parks said in a March 11 statement supporting the application. “Moreover, while each facility is strategically located in major metro hubs and high-growth edge markets to support growing demand, they are designed to live within the precise neighborhoods they support.”
The application was first reported by the Washington Business Journal.
Though the 14.4-acre site is in an industrial district where data centers are allowed by-right, a special exception is required in this case because, at approximately 316,228 square feet total, the “Vienna Cloud” buildings would exceed the 80,000-square-foot size limit imposed by the zoning ordinance that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors updated in 2024.
The buildings would be also located just 107 to 131 feet away from the Reserve at Tysons Corner apartments to the south and the Heritage Point Townhouses to the west — under the county’s 200-foot minimum setback for data centers from residential areas.
The application acknowledges that the project will be “in close proximity to well-established residential neighborhoods,” but notes that Serverfarm isn’t seeking the change the setbacks from the existing office buildings, which were constructed in 1978 and already include data centers among their tenants.
“Serverfarm has to rise to its environs and deliver a low-impact, sustainable and elegant new facility that can implement its digital transformation strategy (which focuses on agility, reliability and operational efficiencies) and meet the ever-growing demand for capacity,” Parks wrote.
With a maximum height of 67 feet, the new buildings will be surrounded by “lush, intentional landscaping” on all sides, including new tree plantings, to provide a natural touch and some screening from the nearby homes, the application says.
Serverfarm will also construct a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along Kidwell Drive and an asphalt trail from the north end of the site to the Quantum athletic field built on the property in 2019 by The Meridian Group, developer of The Boro. The field would be enhanced with “graphic art treatments” on a screening wall and a new, adjacent playground.
According to the application, the development would reduce traffic to the site compared to the existing data center and office uses, and a noise study commissioned by Serverfarm found there would be no increase in noise from the new buildings.
“Vienna Cloud represents a strategic reinvestment into the Property, replacing an outdated data facility with a contemporary, purpose-built data center that reflects modern standards of performance and enhances long-term compatibility with the surrounding community,” the application said.
Though it was originally filed at the end of January, the zoning application still hasn’t been officially accepted for review by county staff.
Even after the Board of Supervisors tightened its regulations, the data center industry has faced increased scrutiny in recent years both locally and nationally due to its neighborhood, energy and environmental impacts.
Fairfax County leaders drew some criticism last month when they approved the sale of a publicly owned parcel in Chantilly to a data center developer, and conflicting views in the House of Delegates and state Senate on whether to extend sales tax exemptions for data centers have locked legislators in a stalemate over Virginia’s budget that appears no closer to a resolution now than when the General Assembly adjourned its regular session on March 14.
