More pushback against new data centers across DMV
More pushback against new data centers across DMV
Pushback against new data center development is growing across the D.C. region, with the latest unfolding in Alexandria.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Pushback against new data center development is growing across the D.C. region, with the latest unfolding in Alexandria.
Residents there are organizing against a proposed data center project and the electric substation needed to power it. The effort comes as other jurisdictions move to slow or pause data center expansion.
FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick visited Edsall Road, where the Plaza 500 property is slated for redevelopment. The site, once a distribution center, sits in an industrial zone near I‑495 but borders the Bren Mar neighborhood to the west.
RELATED: Prince George’s planning board hearing to consider zoning changes for data centers
Developers have already filed permits to convert the property into a data center campus, a move local officials say is allowed under current zoning.
The project would also require a new electric substation. Residents say blocking that land use approval is their best chance to halt the development, and they plan to petition Fairfax County to deny it.
In Montgomery County, the council is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill that would pause new data center permits for 18 months. County leaders say the temporary ban would give them time to establish stricter zoning rules. Prince George’s and Frederick counties have already enacted similar measures.
Back in Alexandria, Dominion Energy is scheduled to brief the Land Use Advisory Committee Tuesday night on its proposed substation.
The Source: Information in this article comes from City of Alexandria and previous FOX 5 reporting.