Data center light and noise pollution rankle Reston residents
Reston residents say CoreSite’s nearby data center expansion has caused excessive noise, nighttime lighting, vibration and possible damage to homes for years. Residents have met with CoreSite and Fairfax County officials and are seeking mitigation, but the expansion was approved before the county adopted rules requiring greater separation from residential neighborhoods.
Residents along Cocquina Drive in Reston say CoreSite’s data center expansion has significantly affected their quality of life. They report construction noise, drilling and blasting, bright lights visible through blackout curtains, and vibrations they believe have caused cracks in nearby homes. Resident Maggie Urbanik said the facility’s size, noise and lighting have made neighboring properties nearly unusable.
Residents said CoreSite planned a 75-foot-tall expansion roughly 97 feet from homes, but they were unable to challenge it because the project had received prior approval. Fairfax County’s newer data center regulations prohibit facilities within 200 feet of residential neighborhoods, although those rules did not apply retroactively. Residents have met with CoreSite and county officials to seek changes, while CoreSite had not responded to NBC4’s request for comment.