Loudoun County can’t roll back data center protections
Loudoun County supervisors declined to roll back grandfathering protections for 15 data center projects already in the development pipeline. They also tabled a proposed $200,000 outside audit after county staff said the projects had already been reviewed, while residents warned about the impact of additional development.
Loudoun County supervisors will not eliminate grandfathering protections that allow 15 data center projects, comprising 30 buildings, to proceed under older county rules without new public hearings or board votes. The projects could advance despite opposition from residents who packed a supervisors meeting to demand action.
Some supervisors considered reversing the protections, but county staff warned that developers could sue and expose the county and taxpayers to as much as $60 million in liability. Supervisor Laura T. Croix then proposed spending up to $200,000 on an outside audit of the projects, but the board tabled the proposal after supervisors said county staff had already completed the review. The county currently has 233 operating data centers and 116 more in the construction pipeline.