Board overturns Planning Commission denial of Tuscarora Crossing substation; special‑exception review sent to September

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on July 9 overturned a Planning Commission denial of Commission Permit CMPT‑20240009 for a proposed utility substation in Tuscarora Land Bay 3 and sent the related special‑exception applications to a September business meeting for action.

Supervisor Umstead moved to reverse the Planning Commission decision; Supervisor Letourneau seconded. The board voted 9–0 to reverse the Planning Commission's denial of the commission permit, which determines whether a proposed utility major use is consistent with the comprehensive plan. The board later voted 9–0 to forward the concurrent special‑exception (SPEX) and minor special‑exception requests for the substation and associated data‑center site plan to the Sept. 3, 2025 business meeting for further consideration.

Why it matters: The commission permit evaluation is legally narrow and limited to whether a proposed major utility use's general location, character and extent are substantially in accord with the Leesburg JLMA employment place type in the comprehensive plan. The special‑exception consideration that follows addresses zoning design details controllers can condition, including landscape buffers, screening walls, generator siting and other measures staff and the applicant said they would refine before a final decision.

What the board and applicant said: Darby Metcalfe of the Department of Planning and Zoning told the board the item concerns a 37.61‑acre parcel south of Cross Trail Boulevard and west of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in the Leesburg election district. Metcalfe said the Planning Commission had denied the commission permit after discussing location and surrounding character; staff said the substation request is generally consistent with the Leesburg JLMA employment place type but identified outstanding screening/buffering matters that the applicant continues to address.

Applicant representatives said the selected site clusters the substation adjacent to three existing substations and transmission corridors and that the application proposes enhanced buffers beyond ordinance minima: an 80‑foot landscape buffer along Cross Trail Boulevard, a 16‑foot combined berm and screening wall (4‑foot berm plus a 12‑foot wall) and supplemental plantings. The applicant said a portion of the substation would be gas‑insulated (GIS) and that Dominion would ultimately build, own and operate the station after the developer deeds the land to the utility; the applicant said it would pay construction costs.

Residents who spoke urged the board to uphold the Planning Commission denial. Brett Sposa, who identified himself as a Tuscarora Crossing resident, said the site's placement would alter a community built with the expectation of residential and transitional open space. Emily Kasenbaum, another nearby resident, said she would be able to see the substation from her home and criticized the timing and adequacy of community engagement.

Clarifying details presented to the board included: a staff note that the data‑center approvals on adjacent land were vesting and predated the recent data‑center boom (ZMAP 2012, approved 2015; a density/FAR increase via ZCPA in 2019); the applicant's statement that Dominion has reviewed and approved a proposed substation design and that nearby substations are at or near capacity; and applicant‑provided distances the team said were approximate: the nearest house to the proposed substation about 750 feet, the closest data‑center building about 480–485 feet from homes, and roughly 1,400 feet to Kinkade Forest.

Next steps: The special‑exception and minor‑special‑exception review (site plan details including buffers, screening, generator locations and noise mitigation) will return to the board at the Sept. 3 business meeting where supervisors signaled they expect more detailed site visuals, cross‑sections, noise attenuation plans and exploration of whether additional GIS measures could reduce above‑ground equipment and visual impact.

Ending: The board's reversal of the Planning Commission addressed the limited legal standard for a commission permit; supervisors emphasized that the subsequent SPEX review is where they can impose binding conditions to mitigate visibility and noise impacts for nearby neighborhoods.