The county supervisor who represents the Lincolnia area where data center development is being planned has shared opposition to the proposed electrical substation associated with the project.
Supervisor Andres Jimenez (D-Mason) called on the Fairfax County Planning Commission to reject the Edsall Road substation and related transmission infrastructure at Plaza 500. The substation was proposed by Dominion Energy to meet the data center load from planned data centers.
Jimenez said he shares concerns of nearby residents on visual, noise, lighting and environmental impacts of the project, as well as concerns about adding more utility infrastructure.
“Reliable electric service is essential, and I recognize the need to invest in infrastructure that supports our growing region,” said Jimenez in a statement. “But that responsibility must be balanced with our obligation to protect the neighborhoods where people live, raise families, and build their communities.”
In July, Starwood Capital Group filed the permit application and building plans to Fairfax County for the first of two data centers of the 34-acre Plaza 500 site at 6299 Edsall Road in Lincolnia. According to the Washington Business Journal, the first phase calls for a 75-foot-tall data center over 226,469 square feet.
The Plaza 500 site features a mix of warehouse, office and retail uses and was formerly home to a Social Security office and Smoot Lumber. Because the data center use appears to be by right under the county’s zoning, residents opposed to the project are focusing their opposition on the county’s substation review process.
Transmission lines between the proposed Edsall Road substation and existing Van Dorn substation received approval from Virginia’s State Corporation Commission. But the substation still faces a public facilities 2232 review from the Fairfax County Planning Commission at 7 p.m. on Sept. 24.
Jimenez believes Dominion Energy needs to explore alternatives that can balance the needs of new infrastructure with established residential communities. According to the Save Bren Mar coalition of residents against the data center, the substation would be less than 100 feet from the nearest homes.
“Our community supports a reliable electric grid, but reliability and thoughtful planning are not mutually exclusive,” Jimenez said. “We can meet our energy needs while also respecting the character of our neighborhoods. I do not believe this proposal, as currently presented, strikes that balance.”
The proposed substation has also drawn opposition from Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and Alexandria City Council.
Before the Planning Commission’s Sept. 24 public hearing, the Mason District Land Use Committee will make a recommendation on Sept. 22 following a July 28 Dominion Energy presentation on the substation. Even if the Fairfax County Planning Commission rejects the substation, Dominion Energy could choose to appeal to the Board of Supervisors.
