Board forwards Cross Mill Center rezoning after discussion of height, screening and traffic

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors on March 12 voted to forward ZMAP-2020-364, the Cross Mill Center rezoning application near Sicklin Road and CrossTrail Boulevard, to the board's April 15 business meeting, after extended discussion over building height, visual screening and traffic.

The motion to send the application to the April business meeting was made by Supervisor Umstead and seconded by Supervisor Kirschner; the board recorded the measure as passing 6-0-3 (six in favor, none opposed, three abstentions). The vote postponed formal action so staff and the applicant could finalize promised design commitments.

The applicant is seeking to rezone the 22-acre site from JLMA-20 to the IP/PDI district, to permit employment uses including data centers and other industrial uses. The application shows two proposed data-center buildings and requests a number of special exceptions, including an increased floor-area ratio and greater lot coverage. Applicant materials show a requested maximum building height of up to 60 feet; staff's analysis said an anticipated use would be approximately 48 feet in height in the applicable place type.

Marshon, the county planner on the case, told the board that staff and the applicant were negotiating design commitments similar to those the applicant made earlier for Greenland Park to reduce the visual impact of tall buildings from adjacent roads. "They were waiting for your board direction this evening before we move forward on that," Marshon said. "Based on your direction this evening, we will meet within the next week or so, finalize the design commitments, and then bring it back to the board."

Applicant representatives said the site is in the Leesburg employment place type and that the rezoning would conform the parcel to the plan. Michael Romy, the applicant's land-use planner, told the board it would not be a data-center-only site. "We are not to data center only on this site. It is data center plus the other uses that are permitted in the IP district," Romy said, adding that the plan set shows building cross-sections and a design approach intended to reduce perceived height from CrossTrail and Sicklin roads.

The planning commission recommended approval by a 6-2-1 vote; staff recommended that outstanding policy issues be resolved through design commitments before the board's final action. Key outstanding issues noted in the staff report and in board discussion included building height and massing, architectural commitment language, roadway and right-of-way dedications, and buffering along Sicklin and Cochran Mill roads. The applicant told the board it would preserve existing tree conservation areas, proffer more than 40% open space and commit to enhanced road buffers in selected locations.

Boardmembers raised other technical questions that the applicant answered in the hearing. Supervisor Sainz asked whether a substation would be required; Marshon said the applicant had not identified an on-site substation. Supervisor Briskman queried whether on-site power generation had been identified; the applicant said no. Supervisor Kershner and others asked about trip generation; Marshon noted the application's traffic analysis used agreed parameters and reported an estimated weekday total of about 921 trips for the proposed employment use.

Public comment was mixed. Supporters included Noah Holt, fixed-base operator general manager at Leesburg Airport, who told the board the airport preferred nonresidential neighbors and said a data center would be "a good neighbor to the airport." Other speakers, including representatives of workforce-training groups, urged the board to approve the site noting potential jobs and partnerships. Opponents, including resident Chris Tandy, warned about regional energy impacts and said Loudoun already has many data centers; Tandy said, "Data centers have created an energy crisis in this county."

The board's vote to return the application for further staff/applicant work keeps the rezoning alive while the parties refine architecture and buffering commitments. Supervisors and staff said they expect the applicant will bring finished architectural proffers and design language for the board's April business meeting.