Fairfax County, Virginia residents pressure local regulators to deny a substation project needed for a proposed data center in Lincolnia.
As Starwood Capital Group moves forward with data center development in Lincolnia, residents are intensifying their opposition, particularly targeting a proposed electric substation needed to power the project.
In July, Starwood Capital Group submitted permit applications and building plans to Fairfax County for the 34-acre Plaza 500 site at 6299 Edsall Road in Lincolnia. The initial phase calls for a 75-foot-tall data center spanning 226,469 square feet. Because the site's mixed warehouse, office, and retail zoning permits data center development by right—requiring no public hearing or Planning Commission approval—the company can proceed without additional approvals, provided it meets current county standards.
The flashpoint, however, centers on Dominion Energy's proposed Edsall Road substation. According to Dominion Energy, the facility and new transmission lines are necessary to meet the data center's power requirements and would connect to the existing Van Dorn substation. While Virginia's State Corporation Commission approved the transmission lines, the substation itself requires a public facilities review from the Fairfax County Planning Commission, scheduled for September 24. The Mason District Land Use Committee will make a recommendation on September 22.
Over 100 residents attended a July 28 land use committee meeting where Dominion Energy presented the substation proposal. Approximately 30 speakers raised concerns about impacts on quality of life, health, the environment, and property values.
Tyler Ray, president of the Bren Pointe Homeowners Association, founded the Save Bren Mar Coalition in 2022 after learning of potential data center development. "Because in 2022 the developer Starwood Capital wouldn't agree to not build a data center there by kind of adding what's called a proffer to the rezoning, they came back and submitted a site plan in 2024 to build a data center by right," Ray explained. "Which means basically just as long as they follow the then current standards of the county, they could build this without needing any public hearing or without needing any approval by the Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors."
According to Ray, the substation would stand just 67 feet from the Ridges at Edsall townhouse community, the nearest residential area. "This is clearly not something that the community supports or thinks is consistent with the county comprehensive plan, like this type of thing does not belong next to this residential community," Ray said.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8), who represents the area, has sent a letter to the Fairfax County Planning Commission requesting denial of the substation application. "I recognize the importance of maintaining the infrastructure necessary to support our region's economy and technological leadership," Beyer wrote. "However, as we continue to experience unprecedented growth in data center development, we must ensure that these projects are appropriately located outside of residential areas."
The coalition has drawn lessons from experiences in Loudoun and Prince William counties. "We see the news reports of when it gets 100 plus degrees outside, and the emergency backup diesel generators have to run, and the fumes are flowing over people's homes, and playgrounds, and parks, and schools, and transmission lines are being ran directly through people's backyards," Ray said. "We do not want that to be us, and we don't want it to be them either."
The Save Bren Mar Coalition now encompasses five homeowner and civic associations representing approximately 1,000 homes, with participation extending to residents of Alexandria's Watergate Condominiums. Ray noted that neighboring residents recognize transmission-line and substation impacts transcend county boundaries, with health consequences dependent on wind direction.
Ray emphasized that Alexandria's nearby mixed-use development at the former Landmark Mall site makes a data center an unsuitable neighbor. "Eight hundred feet on the other side of that data center, Alexandria is building brand new condos, townhouses, parks and apartments that otherwise this site could kind of be connected to and part of a broader thriving area," he said, hoping that substation denial might prompt reconsideration toward affordable housing and mixed-use development.
Even if the Planning Commission rejects the substation on September 24, Dominion Energy retains the right to appeal to the Board of Supervisors. Fairfax County has already approved restrictions on data center siting and operations in 2024 and new electric substation rules in 2025, while simultaneously advancing its own land sale in Chantilly to Starwood Capital Group for data center development.