The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is gearing as much as vote on landmark zoning regulations for knowledge facilities, probably making this a pivotal week for the business’s future within the space.
The board will maintain a public listening to tomorrow (Tuesday) on zoning ordinance amendments that, if permitted, would bar knowledge facilities from being constructed by-right in industrial and medium industrial districts and take away over a dozen heavy industrial districts from probably permitting knowledge facilities.
As directed by the board in April, employees proposed prohibiting knowledge facilities in Deliberate Residential Neighborhood (PRC) districts — areas designed for a mixture of properties, outlets, places of work, and leisure areas.
The modification additionally requires builders to use for a particular exception if an information heart exceeds 40,000 sq. toes in industrial zones (C3, C4) or 80,000 sq. toes in gentle and medium industrial zones (I-2 to I-4). Knowledge facilities in heavy industrial areas (I-5, I-6) would nonetheless be permitted by proper.
No matter zoning, knowledge heart builders can be required to offer a beautiful facade and submit a noise research earlier than and after building.
The Fairfax County Planning Fee unanimously advisable approval of the revised ordinance final month, including circumstances that reach the minimal distance from Metro stops for knowledge facilities from half a mile to a full mile and require a 500-foot setback for unenclosed tools.
It’s unclear what number of industrial and industrial areas the place knowledge facilities are allowed would breach the 500-foot residential neighborhood setback threshold. By FFXnow’s depend, the county has 16 heavy industrial zoned parcels inside a mile radius of a Metro station, together with three in Tysons, 5 in Franconia, and eight in Reston.
Based on county data, 4 functions have been submitted for knowledge facilities, three within the Floris neighborhood simply south of Herndon alongside Route 28.
The one pending utility that might be affected by the proposed distance restrictions is one from Starwood Capital Group, which is in search of to interchange the Plaza 500 workplace constructing at 6295 Edsall Highway on the Alexandria border adjoining to Bren Mar Park with a 461,244-square-foot knowledge heart. A substation to energy the power would substitute the present parking zone, per an unapproved web site plan.
Starwood didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. A county spokesperson informed FFXnow that every one 4 functions are nonetheless in evaluation and haven’t obtained approval for a particular exception, rezoning or web site plan.
In anticipation of the Board of Supervisors vote, residents and householders’ affiliation representatives who reside close to the Plaza 500 web site argued at a press convention final Wednesday (July 10) that extra group enter is required on knowledge heart proposals in areas the place they’re allowed by proper close to residential neighborhoods and public areas, reminiscent of parks and faculties.
Ridges at Edsall Householders’ Affiliation President Tim Pendergrass mentioned that, whereas he’s not outright against knowledge facilities, he’s involved about adverse impacts on residential neighborhoods.
“I actually perceive the necessity for knowledge facilities…simply as I perceive the necessity for airports and practice stations,” he mentioned. “However I’m keenly conscious that none of those belong in residential neighborhoods nor abutting residential communities. Knowledge facilities are the annoying neighbors who convey noise, gentle disturbance, air pollution, emissions, and neighborhood blight 24 hours a day. Along with the assault of our senses, they bring about an enormous adverse impact to our property values.”
In a letter to the Board of Supervisors, the residents and HOA representatives expressed help for the planning fee’s advisable laws. Nevertheless, additionally they demanded that every one knowledge heart developments get a particular exception, requiring every utility to be permitted individually by the supervisors.
“We name upon the board to not permit by-right knowledge facilities,” Pendergrass mentioned. “We should require particular exceptions for all knowledge facilities, particularly these adjoining to residential districts.”
It’s troublesome to foretell whether or not the brand new laws will curb knowledge heart growth in Fairfax. Josh Levi, president of the Loudoun County-based Knowledge Heart Coalition, believes that if permitted, they “could restrict” curiosity, leading to fewer potential tasks.
“The proposed pointers, which had been amended by the Planning Fee, are pretty prescriptive and counsel a comparatively slender aperture by way of the variety of developable parcels and the design facets the County could take into account for knowledge heart tasks,” he informed FFXnow.
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