Site plans for a proposed data center campus near Alexandria have sparked intense opposition, in part because two of the facilities would be built less than 100 feet from neighboring houses.
What happened?
Starwood Capital Group is pursuing a two-building data center development at a 34-acre property in Lincolnia, near Alexandria city limits, according to ALXnow. The company has filed permit materials and plans with Fairfax County for the first building. The use is permitted under existing zoning, but the proposal still depends on related infrastructure and additional county review before construction can begin.
House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, a Virginia delegate who represents nearby communities, said residents have already brought their concerns to her office.
A proposed electrical substation has emerged as one of the biggest points of conflict. The State Corporation Commission has already approved this element, but it still faces a public facilities review before the local planning commission later in September. Ahead of that, Dominion Energy is scheduled to brief the district advisory committee, and that panel is expected to decide in September whether to recommend the substation.
Among the project's most outspoken critics is Mo Seifeldein, a former Alexandria City Council member who's now running for Congress. He said the plan would place two new data centers less than 100 feet from homes near Alexandria's West End and argued that "this project may be in Fairfax County, but its impacts don't stop at the county lines."
Why does it matter?
The dispute reflects a broader tension playing out across Virginia, which already has more data centers than any other state. While these facilities support the internet economy, they also bring immense electricity demands, new substations, industrial-scale machinery, and concerns about noise and local environmental impacts.
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In local Bren Mar and Bren Pointe, the narrow gap between the proposed data center development and existing homes has led residents to organize protests ahead of the county hearing.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said Alexandria wants Fairfax County to understand the city's concerns even though it does not control land-use decisions there.
"While we do not have authority over another jurisdiction's land use decisions, I think it's essential that they understand our concerns about health, safety, climate and quality of life for Alexandrians who live so close," she told ALXnow.
The city has not formally taken a position on the proposal.
What's being done?
Residents in the Bren Mar and Bren Pointe neighborhoods are mobilizing against the proposed substation before the Planning Commission's September 24 review, ALXnow reported.
Seifeldein says Alexandria officials should do more than send opposition letters. He has urged the city council to determine whether legal avenues are available to shield nearby residents from a development just beyond the city's limits.
Fairfax County's review process is still ongoing. Residents can follow the Mason District Land Use Advisory Committee discussions, attend the Planning Commission hearing in Fairfax, or watch the proceedings online and through local TV.
"This project may be in Fairfax County, but its impacts don't stop at the county lines," Seifeldein said.
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