Data center projects we’re looking at:
The Ashbrook Tech Center (see below)
The GW Satellite Campus (info coming soon)
About the Ashbrook Tech Center
B.F. Saul is looking to sell the 52-acre undeveloped property at the intersection of Ashburn Village Boulevard and Russel Branch Parkway with a site plan for two data centers and a substation.
B.F. Saul is the original developer of the Ashburn Village community and much of the surrounding area, and their “vested land right” dates back to 1986 according to their current President & COO, Todd Pearson.
Pearson and B.F. Saul stated that their current site plan that they have filed is a “respectful data center” and is “less than one third of what can be built on the site.” They also stated that if they cannot gain approval for this site plan, they will sell it and something worse could be built. Once the site plan and property is purchased, Saul will no longer own the site. Currently, there are “interested parties” in the site, but no concrete buyer. Pearson stated that the data center would probably not come to fruition for about five years, and stated that construction could take 24-36 months.
What else could be built?
The property is zoned for PDIP, which means there are other options. Saul’s opinion is that other options are “no longer marketable” given the installation of new power lines on the site.
Is there a benefit to these being built?
When asked by Ashburn Village residents if there were any benefits to these data centers being built, Saul’s answer was the property taxes and commercial association dues that would be paid by the owner of the data center.
Are these data centers a ‘done deal’?
No, although Saul’s stance seems to be that they are inevitable. However, we have time and legal precedent for stopping these data centers. The data center development company (Saul or whoever they sell the site plan for the data center to) will need a special exception from Loudoun County.
See the Application Plan Documents
All of the documents below are publicly available on the Loudoun County LandMARC site. The documents below contain the most relevant information to support stopping development of this data center complex.
Document: Environmental Site Assessment
Importance: Documents the current state of the area.
Document: Submission 3 Comments
Importance: Submission 3 comments that call out the lack of detail regarding the required government center, as well as proffer requirements that have not been addressed.
Document: Submission 1 Application Acceptance
Importance: Explicitly states that the project cannot move forward without a Special Exception (SPEX)
Document: Proffer/Condition Status Update
Importance: Shows developer attempting to dismiss conditions that have not been met.
Document: Submission 3 Engineering Technical Critiques
Importance: Many repeat comments about the planned encroachment into identified wetlands.
Document: Submission 2 Comment Response Letter
Importance: States initial submission was not approved and contains contractor’s response to concerns regarding naming, noise study, and claims that property is not within “residential community.”