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Loudoun supervisors require special exception for most new data centers after March 18 vote
Summary
On March 18, 2025, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to require a special exception for most future data center projects, reversing a decades-old interpretation that had allowed many proposals by right and ensuring public hearings and planning review for new applications.
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted March 18, 2025, to require a special exception for most new data centers, a change supervisors say will allow fuller public review of proposals near residential neighborhoods.
Chair Phyllis J. Randall said the March 18 vote was “the most impactful vote to date to mitigate data center development near residential neighborhoods.” She told the audience that a motion made by then-supervisor, now Vice Chair Mike Turner, passed with a supermajority, and that a limited number of data centers with existing BRI rights would retain that status.
Why this matters: Data centers account for a large share of Loudoun’s commercial tax base, but the county has seen persistent constituent concern about siting and environmental impacts. The change means most future data-center proposals will come before the planning commission and board in a public hearing process rather than proceeding by right.
Background and details: Chair Randall traced the shift to a February 14, 2000, zoning-administrator determination that treated data-center uses most like office uses and therefore permitted them where office uses were allowed. Randall said the county began adding architectural and environmental performance standards in 2016 to reduce visual and water-use impacts. The March 18 board action, she said, requires a special exception for new data centers going forward, except for a small group of facilities that will keep their previously established BRI rights.
Vice Chair Mike Turner is identified in the speech as the mover of the motion; the transcript records a supermajority vote but does not list an exact vote tally or second. The chair emphasized the board’s intent to “manage data center growth to the extent we are legally allowed,” including encouraging better design and materials while preserving Loudoun’s role as a data center hub.
What the change does not state: The board’s announcement in the address does not specify implementation details such as the special-exception application criteria, timelines for processing, or which existing facilities retain BRI status. Those specifics will appear in subsequent planning and permitting materials.
Next steps: The vote introduces a public-application pathway for most new data-center projects; applicants and community members should expect required public hearings with planning-commission review before final action by the board.
