Planners preview 2.2-million-square-foot Remington data center campus; substations, water and emissions draw questions

Fauquier County planning staff on Thursday gave commissioners a detailed preview of a proposed data center campus in Remington that would include seven two-story data buildings totaling about 2.2 million square feet, multiple electrical substations, a 500,000-gallon water tower and an onsite water treatment facility.

The project site is roughly 202 acres on Lucky Hill Road; about 156 acres lie inside the Remington Service District and about 46 acres lie outside. Staff said the developer proposes to rezone the entire site from R‑1 to Business Park with proffers, to amend the comprehensive plan to change the land-use designation for approximately 156 acres from low-density residential to “light industrial employment center,” and to request special exceptions to allow above-ground water storage and treatment and certain substations where those utilities sit outside the Service District.

Proposed development details presented by staff include seven data-center buildings (individual building sizes in the submitted materials ranged from roughly 220,000 square feet to nearly 480,000 square feet), maximum building elevations of 65 feet plus a 15-foot parapet/screen wall for an 80-foot envelope, 125-foot road setbacks and a 100-foot buffer on side and rear property lines. The plan shows four proposed substations (the application materials use two different labels, “substation” and “transmission substation”), two wells and an onsite water-treatment plant. Each proposed substation was described in the application material as having approximately 300 megawatts capacity. The applicant proposes that all new on‑site distribution (feed lines and building feeds) be underground; staff said the proposal anticipates a short above‑ground “drop” from existing overhead transmission lines to the new substation locations.

Commissioners asked multiple detailed questions. Several sought the applicant’s estimate of the number of standby generators, the schedule and emissions from generator testing, and the total anticipated air emissions from on‑site generators; staff did not have a generator count in the introductory materials and the applicant had not provided a comprehensive generator or emissions estimate at the time of the preview. One commissioner said, “I wanna know how many generators we're talking about,” and commissioners requested that any generator count and emission estimates be provided to staff and included in the staff report before the public hearing.

Dominion was reported to have acknowledged receipt of a load letter from the applicant and to be “committed to delivering the requested capacity,” but staff said it was unclear from the materials whether that commitment required transmission upgrades or when Dominion would deliver the capacity. Commissioners pressed staff for clearer Dominion timing and upgrade information; staff said that if the county receives additional details from the applicant or Dominion, staff will include them in the formal staff report for the public hearing.

Public-safety and infrastructure topics also drew attention. The applicant has proposed to construct a 500,000-gallon, 111-foot water tower and a water-treatment plant (staff estimated the plant cost at $3 million to $6 million) and to transfer the completed water system to the Water and Sewer Authority (WSA). The proffers submitted with the rezoning would also include a $2.2 million contribution for a ladder truck or other fire-and-rescue needs; staff said the fire chief has indicated Tall buildings at the heights proposed cannot be safely served without a ladder truck. The developer also proffered money for parks and recreation and other off‑site contributions in concept.

Other topics noted by staff: proposed 100-foot perimeter buffers with pollinator meadow plantings and layered evergreen screens; a proffer to limit certain generator testing hours; lighting limits; a proffered noise standard and periodic sound monitoring; a sidewalk along Lucky Hill Road; and proposed roadway frontage improvements and pre/post road condition surveys with VDOT. Commissioners also asked about decommissioning plans for large, specialized buildings if data‑center use ends in the future; staff said the current submittal did not include a decommissioning commitment and that the commission could request such information when the application comes back as a public‑hearing item.

Staff emphasized this was an introductory briefing to preview materials before the application advances to formal public hearing and said that additional technical information — Dominion capacity studies and generator/emissions details among it — would be included in the staff report if provided by the applicant or reviewing agencies prior to the hearing.