Jimenez urges Planning Commission to reject substation
Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez has sent a letter to the Fairfax County Planning Commission recommending denial of the substation that would serve the data center at the Plaza 500 site in Bren Mar Park.
In recent days, the Alexandria City Council and Rep. Don Beyer have also urged the Planning Commission to reject Dominion Energy’s 2232 application for the substation.
The Planning Commission will hold a hearing on the substation on Sept. 24. The Mason District Land Use Committee will make a formal recommendation to the Planning Commission on Sept. 22.
SaveBrenMar, a coalition of community members who fought against the data center, is urging residents and local leaders to tell members of the MDLUC and Planning Commission to reject the substation.
Related story: Community members speak out against a substation at Plaza 500
The Aug. 6 statement from Jimenez says, “Throughout the public review process, residents have voiced sustained concerns about the project’s effects on the surrounding community, including visual impacts, noise, lighting, environmental considerations, and the cumulative burden of adding more utility infrastructure to an area that already shoulders significant impacts.”
Jimenez says he shares those concerns and “remains unconvinced that Dominion Energy has demonstrated that alternative sites, co-location opportunities, or design modifications have been fully exhausted before the utility settles on the proposed Edsall Road location.”
“The people who live in these neighborhoods should not be asked to accept a project of this magnitude unless every reasonable alternative has been fully explored,” Jimenez states. “Fairfax County’s land use decisions should continue to prioritize compatibility between critical infrastructure and established residential communities whenever feasible alternatives exist.”
“Our community supports a reliable electric grid, but reliability and thoughtful planning are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “We can meet our energy needs while also respecting the character of our neighborhoods. I do not believe this proposal, as currently presented, strikes that balance.”
Related story: Beyer urges Planning Commission to reject data center substation
Jimenez calls on the Planning Commission “to recommend denial of Dominion Energy’s 2232 application in its current form and encourages continued efforts to identify solutions that better meet both the region’s infrastructure needs and the expectations of the surrounding community.”
Opposition to data centers is growing nationwide. Montgomery County, Md., approved an 18-month moratorium on data center development on July 28, and Loudoun County is considering a moratorium.
Starwood Capital Group is moving forward with its plans for two data centers on the Plaza 500 site. The first building would be 226,500 square feet and 75 feet tall. As it’s a by-right project, it doesn’t need to be approved by the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors.
The State Corporation Commission already approved a transmission line for the project, so the only leverage the community has left is to urge the Planning Commission to deny the 2232 application.
Public facility projects go through the 2232 process, which doesn’t require approval by the Board of Supervisors. If the Planning Commission denies the application, however, Dominion or Starwood could appeal to the BoS.
If there is an appeal, “we expect the full Board of Supervisors to honor precedent, respect Supervisor Jimenez’s position, and vote to uphold the Planning Commission’s denial,” said Tyler Ray, founder of the SaveBrenMar Coalition.
Related story: Data centers must pay for transmission infrastructure
The Alexandria City Council, in its letter asking the Fairfax County Planning Commission to deny the substation application, states, “The incompatibility of heavy industrial use in such proximity to a densely populated area of Alexandria residents is a clear and compelling reason to not support this application.”
A standing-room-only crowd at a July 28 meeting of the Mason District Land Use Committee drew many Alexandria residents who oppose the substation. Although located in Mason District, Plaza 500 is on the Alexandria border.
“Approval of this substation presents a serious threat to the health and safety of our residents and our ability to deliver livable residential conditions widely, including in some of our most vulnerable communities,” the letter says. “Data centers, substations, and other industrial uses are approved locally, but the impacts – noise, environmental, energy, water usage, quality of life – are felt more broadly across jurisdictions.” The substation should be “considered within the context of the surrounding community, including Alexandria.”