Residents concerned about Dominion’s substation project
About 100 residents of the Bren Mar Park area came to an “open house” with Dominion Energy representatives April 9 to learn about the utility company’s plans for a new substation and transmission line to serve a data center planned for the Plaza 500 site.
None of the dozen or so maps of the project shared by Dominion at Bren Mar Park Elementary School showed the substation would be adjacent to a data center. However, everyone knew it would be needed to meet the huge energy demand for the data center planned by Starwood Capital Group.
The data center would be less than 260 feet from townhomes in Bren Pointe and the substation and transmission line would be less than 100 feet and clearly visible from homeowners’ back decks.
Residents of Bren Pointe and surrounding neighborhoods have organized a grassroots group to oppose the data center. They charge that it would be noisy, disrupt the character of the neighborhood, and harm the environment. They also argue it should not go forward while Fairfax County is drafting new, more stringent policies on data centers.
Related story: Bren Mar Park residents urge the BoS to act against a by-right data center
Dominion’s preferred route for the nearly mile-long transmission line would head along Turkeycock Run, cross Backlick Run and the Norfolk Southern railroad line, extend along Farrington Avenue, cross the CSX railroad line, and end up at the existing Van Dorn Substation. Both Turkeycock Run and Backlick Run are Resource Protection Areas.
According to Dominion, it won’t be feasible to build the power line on the commercial/industrial side of Plaza 500 because it needs a 100-foot right of way, and there isn’t enough room between the existing buildings.
There would be eight or nine transmission towers averaging 123 feet tall. The tallest ones would be 150 feet.
The data center would be a by-right project, meaning there is no requirement for a public hearing, and that once a site plan is submitted, it likely would be approved.
Dominion intends to submit a 2232 plan, which is required for public facilities, to the Fairfax County Planning Commission this summer, said company spokesperson Yolanda Green.
“If it goes through the 2232 process, the Board of Supervisors doesn’t have a say,” said Amir Abu-El-Hawa, chief of staff for Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez.
On March 20, the BoS approved a resolution directing planning staff to draft a Zoning Ordinance amendment to impose stricter regulations for data centers and present it to the board for a public hearing in July.
Dominion plans to start work on the substation in 2026 and have it “energized” by October 2027.
“We’re operating under the premise that the data center will move forward,” said Dominion spokesperson Robert Richardson. If that doesn’t happen, Dominion would reconsider the project.
Related story: BoS calls for new regulations on data centers
Tyler Ray, president of the Bren Pointe Homeowners Association and a key force behind the community’s opposition to the data center, said he was heartened that so many people showed up at the open house. “The public is really concerned.”
It would have been nice if Dominion publicly acknowledged the substation is for the data center, he said, and if Starwood had shown up and engaged with the community. “They have been silent.”
Abu-El-Hawa agreed, noting, “Starwood needs to do outreach.”
“I don’t want to look out my window at a power line,” said Lisa, a resident of the Jefferson Green community. “I’m quite upset; we’re not getting a say.” She is happy in her home but would consider moving if the project goes forward.
Bren Pointe resident Rebecca Gomez, who lives next to the future power line, is concerned about the electromagnetic field (EMF) it would generate and its impact on her three-month-old baby. Jeremy and Myriam Allen, who also live in Bren Pointe and have two young children, noted the studies on the health risks of EMFs are inconclusive.
Another resident said the transmission lines will be an eyesore that will degrade the quality of life. Someone else complained that the open house hosted by Dominion didn’t allow for community members to voice their concerns in a public setting.