Supervisor Phyllis Randall calls out 'false statements' in heated data center debate.
During a heated Loudoun County Board meeting, Supervisor Juli Briskman argued against new data center rezoning, claiming it restricted economic diversification. Supervisor Phyllis Randall countered, stating many existing data centers were built by-right under older regulations, not recent rezonings. Randall announced an upcoming town hall to address misinformation surrounding data center development.
A contentious Loudoun County Board meeting saw Supervisor Juli Briskman voice strong opposition to new data center rezonings, asserting that such decisions have hindered the county's economic diversification by converting land that could have been used for homes or flex industrial development. Briskman indicated that these rezonings have pushed other uses into different areas of the county and that she has been voting against data centers since 2020 because "every inch of land we gave up, every inch of land we we rezoned constrains us now."
In response, Supervisor Phyllis Randall immediately challenged Briskman's claims, labeling them as factually incorrect. Randall clarified that the majority of data centers currently in Loudoun County were established "by-right" under regulations enacted in 2003, predating more recent rezoning efforts. Randall concluded by announcing plans for an upcoming town hall specifically designed to address and correct widespread misinformation surrounding data center development in the county.