Fairfax County Approves Chantilly Land Sale to Data Center Developer

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the sale of 41.7 acres of a police department training facility in Chantilly, Virginia, to SCG Global Holdings, an entity of Starwood Capital Group, for $166.8 million. The 128-acre property at 3721 Stonecroft Blvd. is located near Dulles Airport. SCG Global Holdings intends to develop a data center on the purchased land, though the project still requires approval through the standard zoning review process. The county plans to use the sale proceeds to redevelop and modernize the remaining 86.2 acres of the police training campus, which will include a new Criminal Justice Academy. During a public meeting on March 17, some community members voiced opposition to the sale. David Browning highlighted concerns about data centers' massive energy consumption, strain on the power grid, increased water usage, industrial noise, and construction traffic. Rene Grebe, a Northern Virginia conservation advocate for Nature Forward, criticized a perceived lack of transparency in the sale process and protested the environmental impacts, advocating for public land to further climate goals. Conversely, George Landrith supported the sale, citing the improvements it would bring to police training facilities and officer safety.