Moving to Final Phase of Campaign!
While the Board of Supervisors decided not to pursue an affordable housing solution for the Plaza 500 data center and county land sale, the fight over the Plaza 500 data center continues and is reaching a key decision point!
Earlier this week the community showed up in force for the Mason District Land Use Committee meeting! 100+ residents packed the standing room only meeting with people streaming into the hallway! A respectful but vocal question and answer (not many!) session with Dominion showed how educated, informed, and engaged we are! We effectively demonstrated why this substation is not consistent with the County Comprehensive Plan and the only possible option is to deny.
Our community's 4 year long battle against a data center campus a mere 67 feet from residential areas in the Mason District is reaching its (thrilling?) conclusion and we need your support with the three actions below!
The Plaza 500 data center project in the Bren Mar area of Fairfax County (cited in the Virginia Legislature report as a poster child for bad development and called "unusually close to residents" by the State Corporation Commission) will have a public hearing and 2232 decision by the Planning Commission on September 24 to determine if the substation can move forward. It is the first and only time that we'll be afforded a public hearing for this otherwise by-right development.
This decision has countywide implications given the precedent it would set for other 2232 applications. We will need to put pressure on each of our supervisors to recognize this proposal as the outlier it is and reject it.
September 22, 7:30pm- Mason District Land Use Committee Decision on Formal Recommendation
Location: Main Community Room of the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003
Purpose: Land Use Committee makes a formal recommendation to the Planning Commission on whether the Planning Commission should approve or recommend denial.
Background: The Mason District Land Use Committee in 2022 recommended denial of the rezoning of Plaza 500 out of concern of impact on the surrounding community with a potential data center. We need to ask them to keep consistent with this precedent as the substation is part of a complete data center campus that they previously recommended be denied for rezoning.
September 24, 7:00pm- Planning Commission Public Hearing and Decision on the 2232 Data Center Substation Application
Location: Fairfax County Government Center Auditorium, 12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax, VA 22035
Purpose: Public Hearing and decision by Planning Commission on approval or denial of the 2232 application for the Edsall Data Center Substation
This decision has countywide implications for all future 2232 reviews (public facilities, schools, etc.) as it would set a concerning precedent. I am trying to use this to get other civic associations and groups across the country to also engage by joining the attached letter and having their members attend the September 24 Planning Commission hearing.
Press Coverage from Last Night/This Week:
Fox 5: https://www.fox5dc.com/news/more-pushback-against-new-data-centers-across-dmv
Annandale Today: https://annandaletoday.com/community-members-speak-out-against-a-substation-at-plaza-500/
ALX Now (Alexandria Elected Highlights) https://www.alxnow.com/2026/07/27/alexandria-officials-and-residents-push-back-against-planned-fairfax-county-data-center/