Loudoun County to Weigh Temporary Pause on New Data Center Applications

Loudoun County, the heart of Data Center Alley, is preparing amendments that could pause new data center applications and permanently end grandfathered by-right approvals left after a March 2025 zoning change.

Supervisor Juli Briskman, who is running for board chair, said it is time to pump the brakes until the county can finish standards in its comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances. Staff were directed to outline what a pause would look like for a board business meeting.

Briskman and Supervisor Laura TeKrony also advanced a resolution to expire the grandfather clause that still lets pre-March 2025 applications proceed by-right. Ending it would require special exceptions with public hearings and full board votes, steps already required for newer applications.

TeKrony said data centers should never be approved without public review and that grandfathering was a policy choice, not a legal requirement. Neighborhoods near under-construction facilities have raised noise and generator concerns. A grandfather-amendment report is due Oct. 6.

Other Virginia localities including Suffolk, Chesapeake and Front Royal have also slowed approvals while rewriting rules.

Email the Board of Supervisors at:
Phyllis J. Randall (Chair, At-Large) – Phyllis.Randall@loudoun.gov,
Michael R. Turner (Vice Chair, Ashburn District) – Mike.Turner@loudoun.gov,
Juli E. Briskman (Algonkian District) – Juli.Briskman@loudoun.gov,
Sylvia R. Glass (Broad Run District) – Sylvia.Glass@loudoun.gov,
Caleb Kershner (Catoctin District) – caleb.kershner@loudoun.gov,
Matthew F. Letourneau (Dulles District) – Matt.Letourneau@loudoun.gov,
Kristen C. Umstattd (Leesburg District) – Kristen.Umstattd@loudoun.gov,
Laura A. TeKrony (Little River District) – Laura.TeKrony@loudoun.gov,
Koran Saines (Sterling District) – Koran.Saines@loudoun.gov

Email the Loudoun County School Board:
April Chandler, april.chandler@lcps.org,
Anne Donohue, anne.donohue@lcps.org,
Deana Griffiths, deana.griffiths@lcps.org,
Ross Svenson, ross.stevenson@lcps.org,
Kari LaBell, kari.labell@lcps.org,
Jon Pepper, jonathon.pepper@lcps.org,
Lauren Shernoff, lauren.shernoff@lcps.org,
Sumera Rashid, sumera.rashid@lcps.org,
Amy Riccardi, amy.riccardi@lcps.org,