Despite objections to one of the projects from nearby residents, the Fairfax County Planning Commission at its July 9 meeting approved Dominion Energy’s requests for two new electrical substations to support future data centers in the Dulles area.
A 300-megawatt Towerview substation will be wedged between Sully Road (Route 28) and Park Center Road in the Floris neighborhood, just east of Dulles International Airport. Dominion will lease the site from the owner of the Dulles Gateway data center, which is being constructed immediately to its south.
The station will also provide the energy needed at the planned Renaissance Technology Park data centers to the east, and use excess capacity to support current homes and businesses as well as future development.
Residents of the Fosters Glen townhouse community immediately to the north of the 3.8-acre parcel at 13921 Park Center Road were not happy with the plan, raising concerns about safety, noise, pollution and water issues.
“What are the precautions you are going to take?” asked Pavani Singaraju, a resident of the community who spoke at the public hearing.
Another neighbor, Sanjida Rashid, said a better alternative would be to expand another substation already being constructed nearby, or on another piece of land.
“No alternate locations were even considered,” she said. “Wouldn’t it make more sense for another substation to [be located] further south?”
Rashid said the buffer between Dominion’s planned facility and Fosters Glen would be a problem.
“I find 100 feet to be much too close. It’s not sufficient,” she said.
Sheri Akin, a land-use attorney with McGuireWoods representing Dominion, said the distance between the substation facilities and the northern property line ranged from 112 feet to 190 feet.
Aside from a low hum, “substations are actually pretty generally quiet,” Akin said. “There are substations much closer [to homes] in Fairfax County than you see here.”
Akin said Dominion would commit to meeting county noise regulations, which require a noise level no higher than 55 decibels at the property line.
“We do anticipate to blend in,” Akin said, noting the presence of traffic and airport noise in the vicinity. “We are confident we are going to meet the 55 decibels.”
Commission chair Phil Niedzielski-Eichner, an at-large member, asked Dominion to work with the community during construction and after operations begin.
“I’m assuming you’re going to be a good neighbor — is that a correct assumption?” he asked the Dominion representatives.
Construction on the project is slated to start next year and take about 18 months to complete.
Second substation approved
The planning commission also approved plans on July 9 for a second 300-megawatt Dominion substation, located at the northeast corner of Route 50 and Avion Parkway just north of Chantilly Park Shopping Center.
The Takeoff substation will be constructed on a mostly undeveloped, 10.2-acre site. It will serve data centers on the other side of Avion Parkway and provide additional capacity for existing and future development.
Unlike the other case, “there is no recorded opposition,” said Sully District Commissioner Evelyn Spain, whose district contains both projects.
The substation will ensure “reliable utility infrastructure” in the corridor, Spain said.
Commission members raised some questions about landscaping and noise, but they ultimately approved the application with a 9-0 vote.
“Overall, I think the siting is well-done,” Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina said.
Akin, Dominion’s legal representative, said this station will be another “tool in Dominion’s toolbox” to address growing power needs in the immediate area.
Facilities will be set back 100 feet from Route 50, with a treescape buffer. An existing pond on the northern and western reaches of the property will be retained, and the entire parcel will be ringed by a 12-foot decorative wall.
Like the other project, the Takeoff site shares a boundary with Dulles Airport, which sits immediately to its east.
The votes for both projects were unanimous among Planning Commission members participating. In each case, at-large commissioner Timothy Sargeant recused himself from discussion and the final vote, because he previously worked in communications and media relations for Dominion Energy, though he has retired.
Both of the substation proposals required approval through the county’s “2232” review process, which is required by the Code of Virginia to ensure government and public utility projects are compatible with the comprehensive plan.
Projects reviewed under that code section are among the rare cases where the planning commission makes a final decision, rather than merely a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.
