ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A proposed new data center is bringing concern and controversy to Alexandria.
Tuesday night, Dominion Energy held an open house about the Edsall project at Bren Mar Park Elementary School
"We invited members of the public here to learn about a transmission project that we're proposing in the area," said Robert Richardson, a communications consultant for Dominion Energy.
"We probably have 20 or 25 subject matter experts here who can talk about the environment, trees and forestry, they can talk about the electrical infrastructure we're proposing to build here and the need for it," said Richardson.
The newly proposed substation, he says, is needed to serve the growing data center load in the area.
"Whether it's a 7-Eleven, a church or a data center, it's the distribution lines that come out of the substation that serve individual customers," he said.
The substation is needed to provide power to a proposed 70-foot-tall data center along Edsall Road. It would be located roughly 260 feet from some homes.
"The data center is gonna be less than 250 feet from some brand new townhomes," said Richard Newman, the President of the Jefferson Green Condominium Association.
He says his association along with other neighborhood and condo associations along Edsall Road have been fighting to keep this data center from being built.
"Trying to speak out against the data center built so close to homes. It would be the closest data center to residential in all of Fairfax County, of all of the 17 existing or planned data centers that there are," said Newman.,
"The pollution, the environmental effects, the radiation, and our property values. It's gonna hurt the entire community," said Newman.
"I'm hoping we can stop it and have them develop something else there other than a data center," said Newman.
The proposed site has drawn a lot of concern from neighbors.
Last month, several people from the Bren Mar neighborhood showed up to a county meeting about land use.
The residents said they're concerned about a proposed 70-foot-tall data center along Edsall Road, which would be located roughly 260 feet behind some homes. Neighbors previously helped stop the developer from constructing the site, but the company changed plans to a smaller footprint that gives them by-right use on the particular zoning. Through by-right use, the approval process is faster without the need for input from the public nor supervisors.
During the meeting, county supervisors discussed provisions to the zoning ordinance that would restrict where data centers would go by-right and trigger a public hearing and approval strictly from supervisors and the planning commission. Currently, they are only approved administratively.
RELATED: Fairfax Co. leaders discussing zoning, standard changes for data centers amid development pushback
"We have no say about it so far, and I don't see one coming," said Lisa who lives in Jefferson Green.
Tuesday night's open house was solely focused on the proposed substation.
We asked Dominion Energy what their message is for the residents who feel like they're not being heard and not having a say.
"What I've said to those people here tonight is this is not the end of the communication process. This is not the end of you being able to provide public input," said Richardson.
He says they'll pass along all of the concerns and comments to the State Corporation Commission.
Next up they'll apply with the State Corporation Commission who Dominion says will review all of the concerns voiced by residents.
If all of the permitting is approved, the project could be completed as early as October 2027.
To let Dominion Energy know what you think of the proposal, click here.
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