By Matthew Torres for WUSA9

FAIRFAX, Va. — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is set to hold a critical public hearing and possible vote on Tuesday on a proposed zoning ordinance amendment that would establish new, stricter regulations for electrical substations, key infrastructure required to power the county’s burgeoning data center industry. The decision is being closely watched, particularly by residents concerned about the impact of the Plaza 500 data center development.

The Board’s vote follows months of community engagement and a formal recommendation from the Planning Commission, which has endorsed significantly stronger protections for residents than initially proposed by staff.

The controversy centers on the massive electrical demand of new data centers and the necessity of large substations, which are typically operated by Dominion Energy. Residents and advocacy groups across the Commonwealth including in Fairfax County have pushed back on favoring data center developers despite its economic value. 

A major focal point of the debate is the proposed Edsall Substation, intended to service the Plaza 500 data center. This substation, which is currently unapproved, is situated directly next to a residential area. According to advocates, failing to apply the new ordinance standards to this and one other unapproved substation would put residents at risk for negative health, environmental, and financial impacts.

Advocates are strongly urging the Board to require that all unapproved substations immediately comply with the new ordinance, asserting that residents, who are footing the bill for the infrastructure, deserve common-sense protections regardless of a project’s application timeline.

The Planning Commission voted 11-0 on Oct. 22 to recommend the adoption of the zoning amendment with several key revisions designed to increase setbacks and enhance public review, specifically for substations near residential and commercial areas.

The key Planning Commission recommendations for new substations include:

• Residential Setback: Revising the minimum setback from properties zoned or developed as residential to 200 feet, up from the staff-recommended range of 100 feet.
• Commercial Setback: Revising the minimum setback from commercial districts (C districts) to 30 feet.
• Special Exception Requirement: Requiring a Special Exception (SE) approval for substations in the I-5 and I-6 Industrial Districts if the property abuts or is across the street from a residential district or use. The amendment also proposes changing substations in the I-3 and I-4 districts from “by right” to requiring an SE.
• Alternative Site Analysis: Requiring an analysis of alternative sites to be considered for substations that abut or are across the street from residential areas, in addition to those located within a residential district.
• Acoustic Protections: Mandating a noise study as part of an SE application or prior to site plan approval for any electrical substation that abuts residential property.
• Screening Standards: Requiring specific landscaping and a minimum 12-foot high visually solid fence or wall where the substation abuts a street or residential property.

Data center interests have pushed back, claiming that the requirement for a Special Exception is too “burdensome” and that a 200-foot residential setback is “too far,” suggesting a 15-foot setback as more appropriate. Opponents argue that the SE process is the Board’s only mechanism to negotiate better outcomes and ensure resident protection through a public hearing.