Proposed data center expansion in Tysons put on hold
Serverfarm has indefinitely deferred its application to replace office buildings in Tysons with a 316,228-square-foot Vienna Cloud data center complex. The delay followed concerns from Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia Palchik and community members about residential setbacks, environmental impacts and backup power generators.
Serverfarm asked Fairfax County to indefinitely defer public hearings on its special exception application for the Vienna Cloud data center project at 7980 and 7990 Quantum Drive in Tysons. The proposal would replace existing office buildings with two 67-foot-tall buildings dedicated to data center operations, exceeding the county’s 80,000-square-foot size limit and falling short of the 200-foot residential setback requirement.
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said community concerns about environmental impacts, generator placement and the project’s proximity to nearby apartments and townhouses prompted her opposition to waiving the setback rule. No hearings are currently scheduled, though Serverfarm could reactivate the application in the future. The article also places the project within broader regional concerns over data center electricity consumption and new state efforts to regulate the industry’s energy and environmental impacts.