Loudoun Now: Leesburg Council Prepares for Data Center Push

Last week, the council adopted two amendments to the town Zoning Ordinance designed to better accommodate the needs of the industry, which is expected to significantly boost the town’s commercial tax base in coming years.

First the council made changes to the I-1 (industrial/research park) zoning district to allow buildings taller than 50 feet. The new 65-foot height limit would apply to all buildings permitted in the district but was developed with data centers in mind. The change was proposed after the town received a request concerning two undeveloped lots southeast of East Market Street and Crosstrail Boulevard near Village at Leesburg. In all, the change would impact 39 parcels totaling just over 300 acres. I-1 zoned land is located near Leesburg Executive Airport, in the Trailview Boulevard/Russell Branch Parkway corridor, and at the corner of Edwards Ferry Road and Battlefield Parkway.

The initiative was led by Planning Director James David and Senior Planning Project Manager Christopher Murphy. David has experience working with data center policies from his previous position in the county’s planning department.

He said they looked at Loudoun County’s rules and new standards recently adopted in Prince William County. “But then we added our Leesburg touch to those and made them more specific and proscriptive. I think that it is actually more than you’ll find in other jurisdictions,” he said.

He gave credit to Murphy for the extensive research involved with the effort.

“Chris is a pioneer in data center standards,” David said.

Council members were supportive, as long as the result is something better than the buildings seen in other areas of the county.

Council member Ara Bagdasarian said the goal was to have data centers look more like typical office buildings.

Vice Mayor Neil Steinberg said the adoption of the design standards was a big step for the town and he acknowledged the positive impact the industry could have on Leesburg— “in the end it’s all about the money, and it’s a lot of money.”

However, he cautioned that town leaders must make prudent decisions on where data centers should be permitted. Even with the best planning efforts, “there are places in town were these will not work,” he said.

Council member Zach Cummings said the zoning change established a good balance.

“We did this the Leesburg way. We’re limiting where they can go to try to maintain the historic Town of Leesburg, and we’re also looking at standards that are different from what the county does and other localities do,” he said. “Our residents should be proud of this effort, because we’re working to not only maximize the financial benefit for them, but also do it in a way that doesn’t allow one industry or another to come in and do as they please.”