County planners recommend more robust reviews of data centers

Fairfax County planning staff issued a report on data centers that recommends additional requirements to address the potential negative impacts on the environment and nearby residential communities.

Last May, the Board of Supervisors directed to staff conduct research and present recommendations on how proposals for data centers should be considered with regard to zoning, siting, and permitting.

There are 11 data centers in Fairfax County, most of them in the Chantilly and Reston areas. Four others are in the review process, and another one has been proposed. There are no existing or proposed data centers in the Annandale/Mason District area.

The report, published on Jan. 9, identifies some of the benefits of data centers, including job creation and better computer processing, data storage, and data security. On the downside, data centers use a huge amount of energy and water, are noisy, affect air quality and water supplies, and are eyesores.

Data centers are currently allowed by right in areas zoned for industrial uses. The report says subjecting data center proposals to a zoning special exception process would “ensure a robust county review with careful consideration of potential impacts and allow for public hearings to solicit community feedback.”

Here are some of the key recommendations in the report for adding new provisions on data centers to the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, Noise Ordinance, and other chapters of the County Code.

Land use

• Consider requiring special exception approval for data centers, regardless of size, in C-3, C-4, and I-2 through I-6 districts.
• Land use and zoning site design decisions should consider the distance of a data center from surrounding existing and planned residential development.
• Consider recommendations for enhanced buffering for data centers located near residential, noise-sensitive uses, and environmentally sensitive areas.

Energy

• Add zoning application submission requirements to assess future energy needs.
• Consider adding an energy performance standard to promote energy efficiency in data centers undergoing rezoning or special exception review.
• Encourage proposed data centers to install onsite solar and invest in offsite renewable energy to offset their energy demand and carbon footprint.
• Establish a new process for coordination with Dominion Energy and NOVEC about proposed data centers and their impact on future energy needs.

Water quality

• Consider adding standards for fuel tanks to ensure that if they fail, the fuel does not enter the stormwater system or open space areas.
• Encourage data centers to address potential water quality concerns by monitoring cooling system water discharged into the wastewater system and, if needed, providing pre-treatment.
• To avoid potential impacts on drinking water in the area served by the Occoquan reservoir, encourage the use of cooling systems that do not discharge to the wastewater or stormwater systems.
• Encourage the use of non-chemical and non-water-based cooling systems.

Related story: Huge data center could threaten water supply

Air quality

• Encourage data centers undergoing review to apply state-of-the-art technology to minimize air pollution from backup generators.
• Request the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to install additional air quality monitoring stations in Fairfax County.

Noise

• Consider adding requirements for proposed data centers to quantify the impact of noise on adjacent areas.
• Consider expanding the current Zoning Ordinance equipment enclosure requirement to apply in all zoning districts where data centers are allowed.
• Noise studies could be required to demonstrate compliance with the Noise Ordinance, and noise modeling could address the worst-case scenario including all equipment and generators at full operational load.
• Noise mitigation equipment should be considered to avoid noise impacts on residential areas and wildlife habitats.

Building design

• Consider requiring applicants to address the large massing and scale of data centers and the view from nearby residential communities.
• Project reviews should consider façade variation, a defined entrance feature, and the screening of equipment.

“Data centers are important facilities to support the modern, digital world – particularly in the Northern Virginia region where data center infrastructure is significant,” the report states. “Given their unique characteristics, careful consideration of their location, design, and impacts (including potential mitigation measures) is needed to ensure that data centers are compatible with the surrounding community.”