The rezoning application for Greenlin Park was approved at the February 19, 2025 Board of Supervisors business meeting. Despite known opposition and inconsistency with county policy, this application proposed to convert a forested area to data center use. The applicant agreed to a significant reduction in the floor-area-ratio (FAR), reducing the server capacity. However, the application as approved still exhibits dangers to wildlife habitat, steep-slope sensitive environmental areas, and the stream health of Sycolin Creek.
As with all data center applications, this potential project has serious repercussions for the integrity of wildlife habitat across the county. Continued legislative approval of data center applications jeopardizes wildlife habitat by increasing infrastructure needs. This application exemplifies further proliferation of data center issues in the County, including an over-reliance on tax revenue from a single industry, potential inequity in cost-sharing for Loudoun residents, decline in open space, and counteraction of climate/clean energy goals.
The footprint of this application is substantial. The building area for the data center and substation on the property would result in notable tree canopy loss. Including the property’s entrance, this would cut through the floodplain and endanger wetlands and environmentally sensitive steep slopes. Despite new commitments from the applicant to redirect stormwater runoff, proximity to the floodplain could have domino effects that would further degrade the stream health of Sycolin Creek. The proximity to, and bisection of, wetlands degrades and destroys prime habitat for the endangered wood turtle.
Despite Board approval of the application, we still believe that it is not appropriate for the proposed area. The uses suggested are inconsistent with those outlined for this location’s designation as a transitional place type according to the Loudoun County 2019 General Plan, which stipulates that “open spaces serve as [the] dominant landscape”. Continual approvals of rezoning applications such as this directly contradict the stated goals of the transitional policy area.
Loudoun Wildlife thanks everyone who wrote in, signed up to speak, attended the previous business meetings/public hearing and/or gave verbal comments to the Board. We wish to point out that public engagement on this project was deeply flawed. As we conveyed in meetings with Board members, this issue reflects a critical need to examine the detriment of prioritizing private developers over the public in the legislative process.
Please see the comments Loudoun Wildlife submitted to the Board of Supervisors at the application’s September public hearing, November business meeting or the project application packet for more information.
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