King George Planning Commission forwards unfavorable recommendation on Green Energy Ventures height increase

The King George County Planning Commission voted this evening to forward an unfavorable recommendation to the Board of Supervisors on multiple items tied to Green Energy Ventures’ proposed data center project, including a requested increase in building height and a special-exception amendment. Commissioners cited concerns over building height, cumulative impacts from multiple data centers, water use and potential harm to adjacent agricultural operations.

The decision follows a lengthy public hearing that drew neighbors and local business owners. Neighbors pressed the commission on visual impacts, noise, light pollution and erosion risks. One resident, Darren Colombe, who said his house sits on Bloomsbury Road, called the proposed heights “obnoxious” and said the trees proffered for screening would not grow high enough in his lifetime. Other speakers, including business owners and local residents, urged caution by citing experiences in nearby Loudoun County where rapid data center growth led to higher electricity demand, additional generators and nuisance impacts.

Applicant Hobie Mitchell, managing member of Green Energy Ventures, told the commission the company had increased mitigation measures since earlier hearings: berm height was raised from 12 to 16 feet, the percentage of evergreens in the landscape buffer was increased, and a larger-caliper planting strategy was proffered so trees provide quicker visual screening. Mitchell also described a tiered height approach: a 65-foot cap along Bloomsbury Road and Kings Highway, and up to 90 feet in interior areas for efficiency and cooling needs. He said parapets and acoustical design would limit rooftop mechanical noise and that the firm would not use groundwater for cooling.

Commission questions focused on stormwater management, long-term groundwater impacts and whether upgrades to electrical infrastructure would be subsidized by county ratepayers. One commissioner cited a previous estimate discussed earlier that the site’s cooling and production wells could draw roughly 60,000–70,000 gallons per day, a figure that commissioners said required scrutiny in light of regional aquifer concerns. Several commissioners also flagged the proximity of an approved Amazon site and urged the county to consider cumulative effects before approving additional large data centers.

After deliberation the commission voted to forward Resolution PC‑05‑25 (the rezoning) and Resolution PC‑06‑25 (the special exception amendment) to the Board of Supervisors with unfavorable recommendations; a separate motion that the special-exception application is not in substantial accord with the comprehensive plan passed on roll call. The motions carried on recorded votes (the commission recorded multiple 6–2 and 5–3 tallies during the evening). The commission did not approve the height increase; instead it forwarded its concerns to the Board for final action.

What’s next: The Board of Supervisors will consider the commission’s recommendation at a future public hearing. The applicant and county staff may provide additional technical information on stormwater, groundwater use and cumulative infrastructure impacts ahead of that hearing.