Board of Supervisors Hearing Recap: Dominion Had a "Rough Night"

Neither project was approved.

The data center expansion goes to a June vote.

The Barrister Substation goes to May 19 - and Dominion did not have a good night.

The Board is paying attention. So are we. More to come.

Earlier this week we asked you to pay attention to two data center infrastructure applications on the Board of Supervisors agenda - both right down the street at Loudoun County Parkway and Shellhorn Road.

Many of you emailed the Board. The Board heard you. Neither application was approved Wednesday night.

This is not about opposing all infrastructure. Infrastructure is necessary. But it has to be responsible. It has to respect the communities it sits next to.

And the companies building it have to be willing partners - not entities that show up with a corporate standard and expect a yes.

New 20,000 Square Foot Data Center Off Loudoun County Parkway (Item 6) - Forwarded to June 16

There was a lot of debate Wednesday night about what this applicationis really about.

• Is it about 832 square feet that extend beyond the original rezoning boundary?
• Is it about fire code clearances between buildings that weren't planned properly?
• Is it about a construction bond the applicant wanted to close out?
• Is it about a building they voluntarily removed from their site plan and now want back at a larger size?

None of that matters. This is not a vote about 832 square feet.

This is an up or down vote on another 20,000 square foot data center building piled on top of us.

If you vote yes, you get a 20,000 square foot data center. If you vote no, you don't.

That is it. It is simple.

Supervisor Turner asked about the total maximum power contracted for all four buildings on the complex. The applicant said the contract is subject to a nondisclosure agreement with the tenant, but disclosed that Building D alone requires 2 megawatts. They stated they were not authorized to disclose the total load for the complex.

The proposed expanded data center is part of this complex. The rest is already built. These are experienced data center operators. They should have a firm grasp on the data. Why not disclose it?

Dominion and data centers enter into Electrical Service Agreements - long-term confidential contracts committing to capacity before any public infrastructure review. These agreements ultimately drive the substation and transmission applications that come before the County and the State Corporation Commission.

This is a topic area likely to come up related to multiple agenda items next week too.

If the County has no access to these agreements, how does the County plan and manage what it cannot see? And why do the data centers and Dominion treat this information as confidential rather than disclosing it to the County? It would make sense to help with the planning process - unless you do not want the County and residents to know what is coming.

The applicant offered to build the new building with low-carbon concrete - a 30% reduction in carbon versus standard concrete.

That sounds commendable until you remember they are expanding the building footprint by 39%.

A bigger building means more concrete overall, more HVAC, more water usage, more backup generators, and more power . A 30% reduction in carbon per unit of concrete on a 39% larger data center is not a net environmental win. It is a talking point designed to make a bigger building sound greener.

Could the applicant go back and build a smaller data center within the original rezoning? Possibly. But that is not what is on the table. What is on the table is a 39% expansion of a data center footprint in a corridor the Board redesignated away from exactly this type of use - and the Board's own planning staff said that it should not be expanded further.

This is an up or down vote on a 20,000 square foot data center. Anything else is a smokescreen.

The vote is June 16. We have time on this one.

New Loudoun County Parkway Substation - Barrister (Item 7) - Vote Next Tuesday, May 19

This is where the hearing got interesting.

Dominion Energy came with a large group asking the Board to approve the Barrister Substation - a new substation in a corridor that already has the Shellhorn Substation (approved 2012) and the Stratus Substation (currently under construction). The Board's own planning staff found that the substation does not align with the General Plan. The Board not too long ago designated this to be mixed-use, residential, and walkable development, not another extension of Data Center Alley.

Dominion's Response: My Way or the Highway

When Supervisor TeKrony asked whether Dominion could improve the perimeter wall design to better fit the Board’s vision for this area, the answer was clear: the wall cannot deviate from Dominion's corporate standard. Dominion's project manager confirmed it directly when given the chance to amend the answer - three colors, standardized for 'rapid repair and parts availability,' no deviation.

No green walls. No murals. No alternative materials. The only flexibility offered was a choice of colors – all three of them.

When asked about greenery on the wall, Dominion said it could not be allowed. When asked about public art, Dominion said any paintings would need to be maintained. When asked about environmentally sensitive design, Dominion said their color choices are specifically selected.

In other words: this is what you get, they will call it “charcoal stacked-stone-look,” but it is a 15-foot grey concrete wall. Take it or leave it. Sound familiar?

The Board's Response: That Is Not Going to Work

Supervisor Briskman called Dominion's approach "unacceptable." She pointed out that the Board has already negotiated enhanced screening on previous substations and they are still, in her words, horrible - "a steel monster our constituents drive by day after day." She said she is hearing the frustration from residents, and she made clear: if Dominion brings back the same application with no changes on May 19, she will vote no.

Supervisor TeKrony pushed for genuine partnership, citing examples from other utilities - like PEPCO - that have built substations designed to look like barns and houses rather than industrial facilities. She told Dominion that with dozens more substations heading toward our communities, they need to start looking outside the box. She has also placed substations into the next phase of the County's data center standards review to ensure better design requirements going forward.

Chair Randall was equally direct. "I don't think you're being a good partner, I don't think you're being a good neighbor, I don't think you're being a good environmentalist, and I don't think you're reading the room," she said - and warned that Dominion could be heading toward a no vote.

The Supervisors deserve recognition for this. They asked hard questions, they did not accept non-answers, and they held the line.

These comments are appreciated, but we ask that the full Board look at Golden to Mars and other projects through the lens of this discussion.

40 to 50 More Substations Are Coming

Supervisors noted during the hearing that they have been told Dominion is planning 30 to 40 additional substations in Loudoun County.

After the hearing, Dominion confirmed to the Loudoun Times-Mirror that the number is actually 40 to 50. These applications are going to keep coming before the Board. Each one will be in or near someone's community. There is going to be a lot more of this.

Wednesday night showed that the Board is paying attention and that community input matters.

Now Next Week: Two Substations Before the Board

The Barrister Substation comes back on Tuesday, May 19 for a final vote. Dominion must make meaningful changes or risk denial. They sounded like they were scrambling while meeting in the lobby after leaving the hearing room. They aren't used to being told no.

But that is not the only Dominion substation on the May 19 agenda. The Aspen Substation - proposed along Cochran Mill Road near the W&OD Trail - is also expected back before the Board. That Aspen substation. The one of Aspen to Golden to Mars fame.

At the April 15 hearing, three Supervisors voted against forwarding Aspen, including Chair Randall, who said she cannot see herself voting yes. Supervisor Briskman said she would not vote to put another substation next to the W&OD.

Two up or down votes for Dominion’s data center infrastructure. One meeting.

Supervisor Letourneau noted during the meeting this past Wednesday that Dominion has “some rough presentations in front of the board lately.”

The Board will also consider a long-overdue step on Tuesday to start including transmission line and substation information in staff reports for data center applications going forward.

Next Tuesday, May 19. We will follow up with more.

It has been a slog - one Dominion created.

But if you take one thing from the Supervisors' comments on Wednesday, it is this: all of this would be a lot easier if Dominion and the data center industry worked proactively and productively with the County AND the community .

They have chosen not to. That is why we are here.

Those of you who continue to engage constructively to move us forward - thank you!

It has made a difference.

More to come.