Fauquier judge denies Citizens for Fauquier County's request to join Amazon data center lawsuit
A Fauquier County Circuit Court judge denied Citizens for Fauquier County's request to join a lawsuit concerning an Amazon data center in Warrenton and to consolidate three related cases. The judge sided with Amazon, stating that the three cases had different legal issues and the citizens' group had no statutory reason to intervene. While a setback for the opposition, they view another ongoing lawsuit challenging the special use permit as the most critical.
A Fauquier County Circuit Court judge, James Plowman, rejected a motion by Citizens for Fauquier County to intervene in a lawsuit involving a proposed Amazon data center in Warrenton, Virginia. The judge also denied the group's request to consolidate three active cases related to the data center development, ruling that they presented different legal issues and the citizens' group lacked statutory grounds to join. This decision represents a setback for the preservation nonprofit's efforts to halt the project.
The specific case ruled on was Amazon's appeal of a 2025 decision from the town of Warrenton, which found Amazon did not have vested rights to build on the Blackwell Road site. The Board of Zoning Appeals had previously deferred its ruling to the court.
Despite this ruling, Ali Zarabi, president of Citizens for Fauquier County, emphasized that a separate, original lawsuit is considered the most critical. This suit, filed over three years ago, seeks to overturn the Warrenton Town Council's 2023 approval of a special use permit for the Amazon data center. Judge Stephen Sincavage presided over a trial in that case in March, with a ruling still pending. Zarabi believes a favorable outcome in this primary suit would nullify other legal arguments regarding vested rights.
Judge Plowman acknowledged the desire for case consolidation and stated he would suggest to Chief Judge Douglas Fleming Jr. and Judge Sincavage that Judge Sincavage oversee all three related cases.