Commission sends Quantum Park data‑center application back to work session after debate over substation siting and building height

The Loudoun County Planning Commission on Nov. 13 declined to recommend approval or denial of the Quantum Park zoning concept plan amendment and instead voted to send the application back to a future work session for further information and proffer refinement.

The application proposes data‑center, substation and office uses on a portion of a 128‑acre site north of Loudoun County Parkway. Department staff recommended denial, citing three unresolved items: the proposed substation’s location and type, uncertainty about right‑of‑way dedication needed for Lockridge Road, and discrepancies between the concept development plan (CDP) and the proffer language (including planting counts and drive‑aisle/parking setbacks).

Commissioners focused most of their questioning on where the substation would be sited and how visible it would be from Loudoun County Parkway. Staff recommended relocating the substation to the rear of the site (behind existing buildings) to reduce visual impacts; the applicant said site constraints — including a U.S. Customs and Border Protection security fence on adjacent property — limit options for moving the substation farther back. Applicant representatives said they had pulled the substation farther from the Parkway, increased landscaping and committed to a gas‑insulated substation (GIS) to reduce the physical footprint and visual impact.

Commissioner Frank said the lack of a formal GIS commitment in the proffers and the siting of the substation on the Parkway were core reasons to oppose the application. Frank moved to recommend denial; after debate a substitute motion by Vice Chair Miller to return the application to a work session for further consideration passed. Chair Kearse recorded the substitute motion as carrying by the commission’s majority.

Why it matters: Commissioners flagged the proposal as raising long‑term precedent questions for Loudoun County Parkway’s character — particularly the prospect of tall data‑center buildings and visible substations placed in front of an existing office campus. The commission asked the applicant to return with tighter proffer language (including the GIS commitment in the proffers), clearer four‑sided elevations and an updated CDP that resolves parking/drive‑aisle setbacks and right‑of‑way dedication details. The item will return for follow‑up work‑session review.