Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Public Hearing, Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia
Length: 5h 49m (video)
Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7711
Agenda (Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=73&clip_id=7711

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-18. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:06:10] I ate some fruit before I came down. Well, good evening, supervisors.

[00:06:30] Good evening, staff, and good evening, Loudon. I'd like to call to order the July, I'm sorry, the July 10th, 2024 Loudon County Board of Supervisors public hearing. This room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, switch your hearing aids to the telecall mode.

[00:06:47] If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. As a reminder, all members of the public who are addressing the board this evening may only sign up to speak on matters that have been advertised on the public hearing.

[00:07:03] Due to the broadcast delay, any member of the public who are, if you're in the boardroom, if you wish to address the board on items 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, which are on the consolidated agenda hearing, please call the numbers going across your screen.

[00:07:19] Now, I do know in the past half hour, we did get somebody who'd like to address the board on agenda item number three, which right now is unconsolidated. So I will, when we get here to that item, I will call you up and address the board.

[00:07:37] And then I will ask the Catoctin supervisor if he believes we could leave it unconsolidated or not leave it unconsolidated after the speaker speaks, depending. But there is one item unconsolidated with one speaker, which is really very unusual. but we want to make sure that that person gets the chance to speak.

[00:07:55] If you sign up to speak, you will be allotted two and a half minutes. If you're in the boardroom, we ask when your name is called, please come to the podium closest to you. State your name for the record. The timer on the podium will indicate how much time you have left.

[00:08:11] When your time is up, please yield the floor to the next speaker. If you're providing your comments via phone, you probably can't see the boardroom timer, So I'm going to ask a favor, and that is that you keep your own time. I don't stop you when you get to two minutes because that interrupts your flow, but I will stop you when your time is up at two and a half minutes.

[00:08:33] And so if you keep your own time, you'll know when you start wrapping that up. So if you could do that, I'd appreciate it. And when taking public comments, I will ask the people in the room first, and then I will go to people online or on the WebEx.

[00:08:50] I think tonight, I think Andy Torres is our moderator. Can you hear me, Andy? I can hear you loud and clear. Wonderful. Perfect. Fantastic. Thank you. And please note that there is a slight delay between the broadcast and the boardroom.

[00:09:08] Before we get started and do anything else, I will ask of all of you to please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:09:31] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Supervisors and Loudon, I'm going to do the consolidated agenda, and then I'm going to do item number five, only because that item has three speakers, and I think it will go pretty quickly, whereas item number four right now has almost 80 speakers and could take a little longer, and so I'm not going to, I think we can get five kind of knocked out fairly quickly, and right now those are the only two items that are not unconsolidated is

[00:10:07] items four and five as of right now. So supervisors, if you pull your motion sheet for the consolidated agenda item out of your folders right now, I'd appreciate it because we're going to hear the following as a consolidated hearing. As a reminder, these items are being consolidated because there are no outstanding issues. Staff has recommended approval. The applicant has waived their presentation time, and with the exception of item number three, no speakers have registered to speak. Well, none have registered in advance, but then somebody did tonight. The items on the consolidated agenda are as follows. Proposed sale of county-owned affordable dwelling unit, that's the broad-run district. I

[00:10:47] will go to Ms. Glass. Item two, amendment to chapter 1480, section 1480.02 of the codified Ordinance of Loudoun County, Affordable Housing, Land Development Application, and Development Permit Fee Waiver Program. That's a countywide issue. I'd be happy to make that motion. Item three, resolution approving the public use and necessity of acquiring certain real property and authorizing the acquisition of imminent domain Route 7 slash 690, Route 690, Hillsborough Interchange Project.

[00:11:15] That does have one speaker, and that would be the Catoctin District, so I'll go with Mr. Kirshner for that motion. Item six, the LEGIE item 2024-0001, Gordon C. Keyes, revocable trust, early withdrawal of property from Beaverdown Valley, Agriculture and Forestry District, that's the Little River District, I'll go to Mr. Crony.

[00:11:39] And item seven, LEGIE 2023-0085, Eastgate Marketplace Proffer Amendment, ZCPA 2023-0003, that is in the Dulles District, Mr. Letourneau is not here with us tonight.

[00:11:56] Well, he's still with us. He's not here. That sounded not great. He's not, he's away. Thank you. He's away. There you go. So I will be happy to make that motion as well.

[00:12:12] So with the exception of item number three, because we know there's somebody for that item, is there anyone in the boardroom wishing to speak on any of the other items on the consolidated agenda? Seeing none, I'm going to go to the moderator. Andy, is there anybody on the call on the consolidated agenda?

[00:12:36] Andy? Chair. Andrew? I believe he's signing people in for the next item. Okay. So he may not. So if he find that there was someone, just let me know. How's that sound? Okay. So board members, we're going to close the public hearing with the exception of item number three, and we're going to go to the consolidated hearing agenda sheet.

[00:13:01] the first item to propose sale of county-owned affordable dwelling unit in the Broad Run District. Ms. Glass, would you like to make a motion? Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the Board of Supervisors approve Motion 2B for the approval of sale of an affordable dwelling unit as provided in the July 10, 2024 public hearing item number 1, Staff Report.

[00:13:21] Motion is made and seconded by Supervisor Sains, I believe that was. Discussion on the motion? No, Madam Chair. Seeing none, all the people who say aye? Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 8-0-1. Ms. Laterno being out for the evening. Item 2, amendment, I'm sorry, item 2, yeah, amendment to the, to Chapter 1480, Section 1480-02 of the Codified Ordinance of Loudoun County Affordable Housing Land Development Application and Development Permit Fee Waiver Program.

[00:13:50] Is there a second? Motion made by Chair Randall and seconded by Supervisor Brooksman. Discussion on the motion. I am fine. I think it's a fairly self-explanatory item when you read it, so I have no discussion. Seeing none, all the people say aye. Aye. Any opposed?

[00:14:07] That motion passed 8-0-1. Item three, the resolution approving the public use and necessity of acquiring certain real property and authorizing the acquisition of imminent domain, Route 7, that's Route 690, Hillsborough Road Interchange Project, that's the Catoctin District.

[00:14:23] I will please ask if Mr. Ronald Rice, if you are here, will you come to the podium closest to you, sir? Good evening. Good evening. Ready when you are.

[00:14:39] All right, thank you. Chair Randall, Vice Chair of Brisbane and Supervisors, good evening. My name is Ronald Rise. My home is located at 401 Rockburn Court in Catoctin and Meadows within the town of Percival. I'm here tonight representing no one else to include my Beagle Sadie. This item to authorize by eminent domain and taking of certain real property has always been inevitable from the very moment Loudoun County purchased the home located at 601 North 21st in Percival in November of 2018, thus becoming members of the Catocta Meadows

[00:15:17] Homeowners Association. As owners, we are compelled by our governing documents to provide for the preservation and maintenance of the open space and to promote the health, safety, and the welfare of the community. As mentioned in the staff report tonight, the HOA governing documents require two-thirds by signature of each owner of record of instrument for dedication of any portion of this common open space. This Board of Supervisors as owners are part of that process and could reasonably represent the deciding vote to dedicate in such a

[00:15:52] process. I understand the county's primary need tonight is to secure smart scale funding by showing progress and acquiring portions of our private open space for the interchange. I'm not here to suggest this body should not proceed with what the staff has recommended. However, I do ask this body and challenge you for the following. Complete the third floodplain alteration study to determine the mitigation effects from the 100-year flood by constructing the additional three-box culvert. Begin a letter of map revision to FEMA to update the flood insurance rate map. Notify FEMA concerning the

[00:16:30] proposed retaining wall backfill that could encroach and alter the flow of the creek. Revisit the updated interchange justification report traffic study to include mitigation of the failed failing level of service expected to be 15 minutes by 2040 at Hearst and Hillsborough Road intersection number 18. Consider the recommendations from Loudoun County of VDOT's August 2018 value engineering study by VDOT to not build ramps B westbound on and ramp C eastbound off providing an estimated cost savings of 9.2 million dollars in 2018. Review the current Dominion Power utility

[00:17:09] line movements on the HOA property for additional environmental encroachment to our forest, wetland, and creek, not indicated in tonight's staff report. Sir? Thank you. I'm sorry. Your time's up. However, if you would do me a favor, because you did say that the staff's recommendation is not what you're pushing against, but what would be helpful for me, and I'm going to say for Mr. Kirshner, could you send us those items to our emails?

[00:17:39] yes ma'am i'd be more than happy to do that i appreciate that and i certainly do appreciate your time this evening i think i know this is a difficult thing but thank you for your consideration thank you so much bye mr kirschner do you want to leave this on consent yes ma'am okay then i can make a motion i would thank you i move the board of supervisors approve motion 2b for the approval of the resolution as provided in the july 10 2024 public hearing item number 3 staff report and I was sick I was second that sorry mr. Kirschner you like this I'm sure I just want to thank the gentleman for coming and speaking I am I will look at your list carefully and and discuss that with the staff and see

[00:18:19] what of those items we can indeed accomplish and I really appreciate you taking the time especially on a winds very hot Wednesday afternoon coming out thank you thank you and I will associate myself mr. Kirschner's comments anybody else to speak on this item see none all people say aye any opposed that motion will pass 801 the next item is in the little river district mr crony i move that the board of supervisors approve motion to be for the approval of the withdrawal as provided in the july 10th 2024 public hearing item number six staff report second discussion on that motion mr crony

[00:18:56] no discussion no discussion anybody else see none all the people say aye aye any opposed that motion will pass 801 and let's see for item number six no number seven is the dallas district i actually we used to make that motion for me mr crony thanks i got too many papers up here okay i move that the board of supervisors approve motion to be for the approval of the zoning concept plan amendment as provided in the july 10 2024 public hearing item number seven staff

[00:19:35] her part.

[00:19:44] Thank you. I will second that. Discussion on the motion? Seeing none, all the people say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will also pass 801. All right. Thank you, everybody, for that. I would like the staff and the applicants for the Innovation Gateway to come to the table, please.

[00:20:31] Good evening. So there is a 13-slide presentation. This is in the Dulles District, but I don't know that everyone has seen this, and so I'm going to go on and ask the staff to do the presentation. Thank you so much. Mr. Caliprese, you're going solo tonight. You're stuck with me, Madam Chair. Okay.

[00:20:51] Good evening, Board. My name is Marshall Brown with the Department of Planning and Zoning, and I'm here to present the Applications for Innovation Gateway. The subject property is located in the Sterling Election District and is within the Urban Transit Center place type. The applicant is proposing to rezone the subject property from Plan Development, Research, and Development Park under the 1972 and revised 1993 zoning ordinances into two separate land bays with two separate zoning districts. The applicant is proposing to rezone 10.74 acres in the first land bay to plan development town center to develop 300 multifamily attached affordable housing units,

[00:21:27] AHUs. The applicant is also proposing to rezone 17.39 acres in a second land bay to plan development office park to develop up to 700,000 square feet of data center uses. This is a view of the concept development plan to orient you north is to the left side of the screen. Shaw Road is on the eastern side of the property. The blue area is the land bay number one. That is the multifamily attached land bay. And the red area is the data center land bay. What is outlined in yellow is the open space

[00:22:00] area. The Alcan is also proposing a special exception to increase the floor area ratio in PDOP district from 0.6 FAR to 1.0 and 10 zoning ordinance modifications to both the PDOP and PDTC zoning districts to include increasing building height reducing setbacks and landscaping requirements modifying pedestrian circulation reducing parking setbacks and the zoning district based standards as well as eliminating the town center green and civic and public use requirements and town center core requirements of the PDTC zoning district as well as other certain landscaping

[00:22:35] buffering requirements and commercial use requirements. The applicant is proposing a number of transportation improvements, including to Shaw Road, to widen Shaw Road to four lanes up to the property's southern boundary, including sidewalk and bike lanes, as well as left and right turn lanes into the property, a crosswalk near the entrance to the property, and to provide improvements to the Shaw Road and old Ox Road traffic signal. There are a number of outstanding issues that staff has identified with the proposal, such as compatibility with the general plan, the specs and

[00:23:11] zoning modifications, as well as administration of the proffers. At the core of the outstanding issues underpinning the staff's recommendation this evening is that the development proposal deviates from the long-range planning policy for the subject property. This property is located in the urban transit center place type, which is intended to support a mix of commercial and entertainment uses, residential and community uses, high-density buildings six plus stories tall, and a gridiron street network that includes parks public art and plazas the urban transit center is also predicated on access to the metro rail i will note that the innovation station is over one mile

[00:23:47] away just over one mile away now this proposal is found to be inconsistent with the land use and the design vision for this place type the applicant is proposing two separate single-use zoning districts which alone do not achieve the intended mix of uses in the place type data centers are not a core complementary or conditional use in this place type the this is not the location that the county intends to develop for data centers development of data centers would remove land area in the place type that the county has purposely identified as having the highest growth potential to support dense urban development in close proximity to metro rail stations staff finds that under developing the urban transit center place type may impact the future viability

[00:24:27] of metro rail stations as the place type is intended to provide a permanent population of users in close proximity to Metro Rail. The specs request to increase the developability of the site for such a use is also inconsistent with the place type and is therefore not supported by staff and does not meet zoning ordinance criteria for consideration of a special exception.

[00:24:46] Aside from the land use conflict presented by the application, the proposal also fails to achieve the intended design vision for the place type which is intended to support that dense vertically integrated mix of uses. The secure data center campus in Land Bay 2 and the gated residential community and land bay one are in no way connected with one another or connected to surrounding parcels in the same place type z mods which the applicant has requested to achieve this design vision are inconsistent with the zoning ordinance criteria for the place types for the zoning districts staff does not find that eliminating or reducing setbacks between these two disparate

[00:25:22] uses or eliminating civic use and non-residential use requirements encourage pedestrian accessibility or present innovative design or otherwise improve upon or exceed the purpose of the existing regulation. Further, staff has identified several areas where greater detail is needed in the proffers in consistency with presentations of such proffered elements in the CDP. This last point leads into the next. Land Bay 1 and Land Bay 2 are proposed to be developed in separate phases.

[00:25:50] However, there is no distinct phasing plan that has been provided in the proffers and on the CDP that describe the proposed development phasing or infrastructure and amenities that will be provided per phase. Additionally, it is understood that the AHU building in Land Bay 1 will also be phase and in two separate buildings. However, no phasing has been provided describing the number of units or the amenities that will be provided per phase. I also note that the CDP depicts one building rather than two, as suggested by the applicant. Staff recommends revisions to the proffers in the CDP that will depict and describe phasing between the land bays and phases of AHU

[00:26:25] development. Details such as this are needed for the proffers to be administered by the county if approved. I would also like to note that the draft proffer language states that AHUs may be developed, this is not a commitment to provide AHUs. Staff recommends revisions to this proffer language and alternative proposals for residential uses if AHUs are ultimately not developed.

[00:26:48] Aside from the proffer and CDP revisions that I also just discussed, staff have identified a considerable number of additional revisions that I will not have sufficient time to describe this evening in detail that must be made to the proffers and CDP so that the proffers can be adequately administered by the county if the board grants approval. Staff has identified the state of application materials including the proffers to be outstanding issues for the board's consideration.

[00:27:12] In summation, the applicant's proposal represents a fundamental deviation from the general plan's vision for the urban transit center place type in both land use and site design. The special exception zoning modifications do not meet criteria for consideration of such applications under the revised 1993 zoning ordinance. The proffers in CDP lack detail and commitment of development for all proffered uses and amenities and phasing is not well defined which represents an impediment to administration of the proffers during the development process revision of the application materials to correct outstanding issues are so numerous that additional staff review and further assessment of the proposal will be needed for staff to present an accurate

[00:27:48] analysis to the board with that being said the planning commission did forward a recommendation of denial to the board of supervisors and staff is also recommending that the board deny the applications i'm happy to take any questions mr brown that was very complete we appreciate it very much. Supervisors, do you have questions? And this is Mr. Sains's district, if I'm not mistaken. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Sains. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, staff, for your presentation on this application. So you stated this is against the current zoning, which is a vision to be urban, mixed use, walkable, and have a lot of different

[00:28:26] activity in the area. Is that correct? That's correct. And so what would be a good example of that, I believe. Would you say the Waterside application would be a good example of what should be in this area? Waterside and Ravana are applications that I would consider would be the type of development that we would like to see. And for the record, for those who might not be familiar with Waterside or Ravana, can you quickly roll off some of what's in those applications?

[00:28:52] Yes, both of those applications are very high density. They contain a mix of non-residential and residential uses. They also provide a number of civic and open space uses that are intended to support that style of development and they provide this high density because it is close to the metro rail station so this this area in general is intended to support that constant flux of metro rail users so this application with the majority of it being data center in terms of land use does not fit the bill just doesn't work okay thank you and then you mentioned in the proffer

[00:29:27] language it's supposed to be phased and if i heard you correct uh land bay one land bay will go first and another land bay would go second. Can you, which one would go first? Which would go second? My understanding is that land bay two will be developed first and then the residential and land bay one.

[00:29:43] So land bay two is the data center proper. That's correct. For data center and that would go first. And then land bay. Land bay one would be developed second. Even though, okay, so the numbers are reversed. But, okay, was there any property determining how are, the length of period of time or no?

[00:30:00] There is no determination on the length of time. There are property triggers that are tied two infrastructure improvements in each land bay. So if you take it as a total, you can piece together what is going to come first, but it is not intuitive, and this does present an impediment to administration when it comes to site plan and when it comes to determining what is next.

[00:30:19] And I also want to point out that land bay two, or land bay one, rather, the residential component is mentioned to be developed in two phases, but we do not have sufficient information. Two phases and two buildings, but CDP depicts one. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sainz.

[00:30:35] Mr. Crony. Thank you, Chair Randall. And thank you for the presentation. So what is the setback of the data centers to the residential multifamily unit? Because I couldn't find that anywhere. To the property line, it is about 196 feet. I don't have it in my notes. I thought I had it with me, but it is, I'll do the math and get back to you, but it is less than 200 feet.

[00:31:07] There's no, because you mentioned that there will be a security fence around the data centers and there'll be a fencing around the multifamily unit. That's correct. There will be landscaping, however, they're requesting modifications to reduce the landscaping and reduce the distance between land base.

[00:31:25] So it would not be what the zoning ordinance would otherwise require. It would be lesser. Okay. And then the noise mitigation, what is that, what's being proffered for the noise mitigation? They have proffered to do a pre-construction and post-construction noise study for the data centers that would take place before they are built and then after they are built so that they can determine if any additional mitigation is needed for the residential units.

[00:31:52] Okay, and that's if land bay 2 is built before land bay 1, right? That's correct. Okay, so it'll be an issue if land bay 1 is built before land bay 2, correct? That's correct. Okay, because I saw that in your staff report. Okay, thank you. Mr. Turner?

[00:32:08] Thank you, Madam Chair. Just very quickly, Planning Commissioner Combs and Banks voted against the denial recommendation, but to just clarify, they wanted to send it to work session, correct? They did not want to just straight, did not recommend denial. Didn't they want to send it to work session?

[00:32:26] This went through two work sessions, if I'm remembering correctly. I think their initial recommendation was a vote in favor because they believed it was a unique project, but I would have to defer to them on that. I wasn't sure whether I remembered correctly. Thank you very much. Thank you.

[00:32:43] Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. So I'm sorry. Now I'm a little confused about what happened in Planning Commission. Did Planning Commission recommend a denial or approval? Denial. That's what I thought. Okay. Thank you. On the noise mitigation, that pre- and post-construction noise mitigation, that sounds like a fairly new proffer to me.

[00:33:04] It's interesting. I like it. But who would hold them accountable and what would have to happen if the secondary noise study shows that they're violating any of our noise ordinances? I assume that's what we're looking for, a violation. Yes.

[00:33:19] So the proffers do contain triggers that, you know, they have to provide these noise studies before certain occupancy permits or zoning permits can be pulled. So we do have that ability to enforce that measure. If there is a noise ordinance violation, that would be covered under the codified ordinances, I believe.

[00:33:38] Okay. And then the separation between the data centers and the residential is below what we have asked for in our new zoning, yes? That is correct. We've asked for 200 feet, but that does not include a road, if there's a road. That's correct.

[00:33:54] Actually, is there a road between the data center and the housing? Only parking. There's an access road. you can i'll see if i can put my cursor over there is an access road with parking through here but it is not a public street this is on on the campus okay um and there's only parking in a fence that they're proposing there's no like um trees or or landscaping that could there will be there will be landscaping but it is again it's not what these zoning ordinance would otherwise provide okay which may include up to a berm but this um there will not be a berm okay and are you aware of where the generators would go for these data centers?

[00:34:34] They are somewhat visible. Some of the mechanical equipment you can see is on the front here. They do have screening for that. Are those gas tanks, or are those mechanical equipment? I believe they're mechanical equipment, but they do not have a specific label on the CDP for that.

[00:34:51] Okay. And then in between here? That is also the mechanical yard. Right. So that's basically where the generators would go, correct? Yes, ma'am. and there's a screen wall, a curtain wall between. Okay, all right, thank you. Okay, thank you, thank you very much. Okay, for the applicant, you have 10 minutes to present.

[00:35:10] You can sit at your table, stand at the podium. Either one is fine with me.

[00:35:30] Distinguished chair, members of the board, happy July. Appreciate your time. Suffice to say, and I'll try and hit some of the questions as I go through the presentation. If I miss them, I'm sure you'll remind me at the end, although I know you've got quite a few other folks who are here to talk about some important matters as well. Chair, I remain a proud Broad Run resident, as we discussed recently.

[00:35:50] Howie and I have distributed what I think are perhaps the two most important slides to the members of the board. Having had the privilege of working, and actually, Marshall, if you can go to the next slide, that'd be great, of working on both the exciting Ravana project, all the way back, Mr. Sainz, actually, to Kamir Suar, who was the owner of that property before he dedicated the land on the Fairfax County side to the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as with Mr. Godelcy on the intriguing waterside plans.

[00:36:22] I have some real personal and professional interest and pride in what I think is one of the most important quadrants of Loudoun County. Here at the confluence on the south side of the toll road, segueing to the greenway. Of course, on the west side, we have Route 28 and Dulles International Airport on the north, Old Ox to the east and the top of the screen, Rock Hill and Herndon, of course, leading to Innovation Metro, which even though that's located in Fairfax, that unlocks some extraordinary possibilities for Loudoun County. I almost consider that our third rail site.

[00:36:55] I love that it's located there. Respectfully, as you can see in the northwest quadrant, the Innovation Gateway site, about 29 acres. I believe this is a small but really important piece of the puzzle to this entire area for the reasons we'll talk about this evening.

[00:37:13] That site is located, as the crow flies, about 1.2 miles from Metro. You might see that white radii, about 1.2 miles from Metro. If you were taking a drive, whether you were going to go down Future Shaw Road, which doesn't exist, or if you're going to go Rock Hill to Old Ox and then maneuver your way down to Innovation Station, it's more like a mile and a half or two miles.

[00:37:36] And I think that is really important for the context of the questions and the issues raised by staff. What's reflected here in red are retail areas, those are part of Waterside. Yellow critically is residential, and particularly note the residential of Innovation Gateway.

[00:37:52] The green areas have proposed data centers and office, which I'll talk about in a second. But please note the yellow residential and then the green community area. The blue is office. And one of the many things that I would submit to this board and that we've talked about with the Planning Commission as well is office market is challenged this board knows that incredibly well where do you want to put office you want to try and not cannibalize Riverside Ravonna or Waterside the areas in blue along the toll road and the greenway to me are the most viable for office development I do not believe that this site next to the two rather old hotels and with no road

[00:38:31] is viable for office let's go to the next slide quickly and this is what was handed out to the board I'm not going to go through every bullet point but this is a summation of why I believe this application absolutely merits serious ongoing consideration by this board this is an innovative mixed-use development there are four uses on this site offices 80,000 square feet to 40,000 square foot offices. That's not mechanical equipment by the residential area, by the way, Ms. Briskman, and we'll come back to that. Vibrant, all affordable, 300 residential units. Office-like

[00:39:08] data centers. They basically look like office buildings, as you will see. A three-acre community park that benefits not only the application before you, but the surrounding waterside areas as well. 300 residential, 100% affordable units. The first and only UTC-located affordable community, the single largest proposed one in Loudoun County. It's complimentary to, and will be integrated carefully with Waterside and Ravana, commitment to design and construct a really important regional road in Shaw Road, which will lead ultimately to the Metro Silver Line, $16 million in road

[00:39:43] construction, precedent-setting, proper commitments in terms of architecture, no substation, no transmission lines, underground distribution, four critical real estate taxes associated with this project basic real estate taxes the route 28 tax district the rail service task tax district and of course the personal property tax over 10 years prognostication of some 200 million dollars next i'm going to go through these quickly chair if that's all right because i know you've got other things to do this board needs no nothing but to be lauded for your leadership both in loud and and throughout the region on affordable housing you have as a primary strategic goal supporting

[00:40:22] affordable housing within urban policy areas. To get to an urban policy area and find the property that you need, you need an innovative proposal, respectfully like the one before you this evening. We're proposing the first 100% affordable in the UTC area, 300 units, all less than 60% AMI, single largest proposed affordable community ever proposed before this board. Next slide. There's a quick breakdown of the unit types. I'm going to keep moving. Again, this is over a mile, importantly, from Metro. It makes it extraordinarily difficult, Mr. Sainz,

[00:40:57] to your good question, to try and achieve the type of integrated mixed-use, vertically integrated mixed-use development that the plan calls for, but I respectfully submit does not in any way preclude the project before you. Just to give you guys some sense of distance, you're all familiar with the Reston Town Center in all likelihood. You all have probably been to the Reston Metro station. Exactly 1.1 mile to the north of the Reston metro station is Home Depot, the same distance as the crow flies from the application before you. That's not exactly a UTC mixed-use

[00:41:34] vertically integrated project, and it never will be. We have to have some respect and acknowledgement for not cannibalizing the projects that we want to support, like Ravana, like Waterside. You need complimentary uses. Next slide, please. This is the architecture associated with the residential.

[00:41:54] It's going to be spectacular. We're very proud of what's before you. Next, the office and the office designated data centers. What you see on the bottom slide in the front is actually office development. There's no mechanical equipment there. Let me be clear and I'll show you some other graphics on about that in just a minute. We intentionally put the office component 40,000 square feet for each of these data centers on the residential side to act as both a setback and it's a buffer. Ms. Briskman, the distance between the residential buildings and the data centers is about 260 feet, and intervening between that are the office buildings. And as you can see by this

[00:42:30] depiction, we actually are comporting with all the zoning ordinance requirements in terms of landscaping and buffering between. There's one ZMOD, but it's not associated between these two areas. There's a 20-foot screening wall for equipment. These detailed architectural renderings are imbued within the proffers. Next slide. There's the elevations. Those are in the proffers.

[00:42:51] Those are in the concept plan. The middle depictions are what you will see on the left-hand side if you are in the residential building and on the right-hand side from Route 28. It basically looks exactly like a five or six-story office building. Next slide.

[00:43:08] That is a great overview and gives you, I think, a better perspective on in the foreground and the bottom is Future Shaw Road, which we will construct for some $16 million, the residential, the office, the data centers, route 28 on the other side the community park importantly there to the left next this is from the south looking towards the north as miss glass can attest because she joined us out on the site about a year ago the noise problem in this area not surprising to anybody on this board is route 28 it won't be in the data centers it is really loud and when we step behind the hotels which are to

[00:43:46] the north just at the top of the graphic there's a huge drop in noise as you would expect the office appearing data centers and the office are actually going to be the most important noise attenuation from Route 28 on the left hand side of your graphic to the residential on the right. Also importantly in this graphic the the footprints that you see there in the foreground at the bottom those are waterside approved residential pods as they are to the right off the graphic as well.

[00:44:13] This residential complements exactly the surrounding approved residential and waterside and creates a community park there to your left that will be associated with the data centers, the office buildings, the residential, and the water side. Next, again, just a view from the south, you can see the water side residential footprint, immediately contiguous to ours.

[00:44:37] Next, that's if you're standing on the third floor of the residential building looking towards the data centers. That's office that you see in the front. Those facades actually well exceed your new zoning ordinance requirements for glass. There actually will be glass on the screening wall to the right-hand side of this graphic.

[00:44:55] Ms. Pritzman, I'll come back to that as well. That's a 20-foot screening wall. There is not mechanical equipment in this area. Next, that's if you're on the fourth floor of the residential building. Next, very quickly, I'm going to go through these.

[00:45:11] These are precedent-setting, and this board has set a really high standard for all industries, but particularly for the data center industry. We heard, we listened, we're trying to obey. Next, I've done no data center case in any jurisdiction where we had this property. There will be no substation on this property.

[00:45:27] There will be no overhead transmission lines. It will be underground. There's sufficient power and an under-construction regional substation and actually some leftover additional power. We've already cut the deal with Dominion. I'm pretty sure 10 minutes is up. Really? It is.

[00:45:43] Oh, my gosh. All right. Well, then I'm going to have to rifle through, Madam Chair. If you'll give me just two more minutes, I will quickly finish. No, sir. Okay. I'm sorry. I'm out of time. I will simply say that. You're out of time, but you will get questions, though. In fact, you'll get questions right now. Sure, of course. Supervisors, if you have questions, please put your lie down.

[00:46:00] Mr. Sains. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Kellabrese, for your presentation. Yes, you and your team have done a good job illustrating a very attractive design. I'll give you that forward-thinking initiative.

[00:46:17] Yes, you're presenting 100% attainable housing, which this board definitely has been talking about. And, you know, as you saw recently with the Atlantic Boulevard application, we approved 100% attainable housing under six months. But you're not presenting just the attainable housing to us today.

[00:46:35] You're presenting it with an attached data center. Now, if you were to remove the data center and it was just retail, office, or all residential, could get behind this application. but because they have a data center attached to it, I cannot get behind this data center.

[00:46:51] So I'll ask you on the record, would you guys be willing to take out the data center and change it to a different use, retail or office or more residential? We cannot do that, Mr. Sains, and in part why we wouldn't do that is because you will not get any of the benefits that are reflected on the graphics that I didn't get to, for example.

[00:47:11] That was my question. Thank you. You answered it. So you won't be willing to look at doing something else besides the data center on this site. So, you know, thank you again for responding to that. You mentioned, you know, Reston Town Center, the Home Depot, a mile away from the Reston Town Center.

[00:47:30] That is true. But, again, you're not presenting a Home Depot. You're presenting a data center, which is not permitted and zoned for use in this location. So as staff has mentioned, Planning Commission has mentioned, and just for the record, if you know, Has another iteration of this application been in front of the board where it was just data center and that was voted down?

[00:47:53] Is that correct? It was not my case, Mr. Sains. It's my understanding that that case, which only proposed data centers, was withdrawn, I think, before it went to the board. Frankly, I was no proponent of that, but it wasn't my case. I think what's before you is exactly what should be here.

[00:48:11] Right, but a data center was proposed in front of the board before and it was either withdrawn or voted down before. There were no other uses associated with that, but data center and a substation. All right, very good. All right, well, thank you. That's all I have for you. Thank you. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Sainz. Mr. Kirshner. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:48:27] Mr. Calvary, thank you for coming. I was very interested in the conclusion of your presentation. You said you had two minutes. So my question is, what were you going to say? Quite a bit, but I won't test the chair. Well, I'm going to be in my two minutes. You're in his time. If you want to do it in his time.

[00:48:43] I'd like to know what you're going to say. So my question is, what were you going to say, please? Can you pull up slide, I think this is important, just pull up slide 34. There will be no substation on this property. Underground distribution lines.

[00:48:58] There is very detailed noise mitigation in Ms. Prisman's questions, which I don't have time to get through, but they're very detailed proffers for both the data center and for the residential. There's substantial civic space reflected here. And I have a graphic which reflects the fact and goes to Mr. Sain's good question.

[00:49:14] What makes sense on this property? wish I could find a slide. This is why I like to control my own slides. Office is not going to happen on this site, just very respectfully, or it might be a couple of decades from now. Best case scenario, if you put office on this site, you're going to cannibalize Ravonna and Waterside. You're not going to put hotels on this site. There are two hotels immediately to the north, a little decrepit. You're not going to put residential, respectfully, Mr. Sains. Nobody, Ms. Kirshner, Ms. Brissman, sat there during the planning commission and said, we don't want residential on 28th. That doesn't make any sense. That's why this is an appropriate buffer.

[00:49:49] You're not going to put warehouse or industrial. You're not going to put standalone retail. This is the perfect confluence for this site. It is the most innovative data center, the most attractive data center integrated in a perfect way. And Mr. Shaines, you're not going to get the road. You can't cut a deal with affordable housing. The road is $16 million. That road critically, opens up a third of Shaw Road, which gets you to Waterside, which gets you to Ravana, which helps this board realize the potential of that quadrant. That's extremely helpful. Thank you. I appreciate it. I'm going to assume those hotels are not decrepidated. I'm going to assume

[00:50:27] those hotels are just a little older and maybe have an historic flair to them. How's that sound? That is why you are the chair of this board. Well loved. How's that sound? Much better. Thank you, Madam Chair. Tell me a little bit, Mr. Calbrace, about the phasing.

[00:50:49] So there are a lot of good questions about phasing. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding. First of all, I don't know that the data says it's going to come first. It's our objective. This is the LIHTC project. You all are very familiar with the complexities associated with the LIHTC. You can't guarantee it. I will tell you this. There is no fallback.

[00:51:05] There are a number of cases that this board has considered where an affordable housing project was proposed. And in essence, the proffer said, if we don't get that funding, then we get to do market. We don't have that. We don't have that fail safe. We are going to do an affordable housing on this project. The market's very enthousive about it.

[00:51:22] This board wants affordable housing proximate to rail. We want to open up the road so the future residents can walk there. We don't have phasing because we don't know. Our objective and our goal is to open all three buildings, the two data centers and ideally the one ultimately residential building.

[00:51:40] To the point made by staff, it is one integrated residential building. It may be built in two different wings. We just don't know how the funding is going to work. But regardless, the entire building will be constructed. We also have been very clear in the profits. We cannot occupy any of those three buildings, the data center slash office or the residential until Shaw Road, all four lanes divided, is constructed and open to traffic.

[00:52:04] That is an upfront, very clear commitment. If the housing component were built, you have a very nice depiction of a pond, I assume, as part of your three-acre community park.

[00:52:21] Yes, ma'am. Is that a storm retention pond? Yes, it will be both. and will it be a wet pond yes ma'am and there's quite a few proffers associated with both the community park which has to be open before anything else is occupied as well so it has to be an upfront commitment and there's actually a very attractive wayward finding along shaw road nice setbacks very attractive landscaping again miss kirschner miss briskman was adamant about including a whole bunch of profits on that front. And would it, would the phasing for that part of

[00:52:56] the project work out so that these amenities were in place by the time the residents had moved in? Yes, ma'am. Both the front along Shaw as well as the community park. Yes, ma'am. And tell me one more thing. Transportation. How are folks who live there going to get to the metro station?

[00:53:15] I do want to show you, can you go to slide, this is really important, slide 19. This will answer your question. So ultimately Shaw Road is absolutely essential to this quadrant. We all know how Challenge Route 28 is particularly in the PM peak. We have to get Shaw Road down to open up the potential for Waterside and then to Ravonna. This project will construct about 35% of Shaw Road. We have to do that up front. It has to be open to traffic before we can occupy. Ultimately

[00:53:51] Shaw Road if we can get that link done then Waterside, Ravonna or the county You can finish Shaw Road to Innovation and get you right to Metro. Right now, you have a convoluted course all the way up 28, all the way down Old Ox, down Rock Hill, which you know so well, Herndon, is not going to allow us to expand.

[00:54:08] We've got to punch through Shaw Road. Thank you very much, Mr. Crony. Thank you, Chair Rendell, and thank you for the presentation. I'm wondering if you can explain how you get 260 feet between the residential and the data centers, because the staff just said it's about 109-foot setback.

[00:54:28] That might be from the property line, Mr. Crony. That's not between the buildings. I was talking about from the face of the residential building to the face, ultimately, of the data center building. There will be about a 50- or 60-foot office building in between as well. Okay, so you're including the office.

[00:54:45] The office building will be closer to the residential than 260 feet. It's about 210 feet. Okay, but it looks like there's two parking lots and then office right there that's what it looked like at one on one of your um uh pictures yes ma'am two parking lots and then and then an office so it there's no like there's not a buffer you know that we typically look for with with trees and um if you can go to slide 10 that might give you a better sense there will be um there is parking in between there there needs to be it's relatively modest don't can't really blow that up and it's behind some of the the language but there's trees

[00:55:25] on both the residential side as well as on the common property line and then the next thing that you see is the office buildings and then the data centers beyond that if that makes sense so you mentioned that you have the power infrastructure um that dominion has said that they can provide power so we've heard that they're having load issues with all the data centers can you please clarify. We cut the deal with Dominion and Novak. It's a joint regional facility there. I'm going to keep flipping. That is to the north and west of this site. It's part of the

[00:55:59] Waterside North development. And in fact, we have cut that deal. There is sufficient power. There will be sufficient power beyond what we need here. It's slide 16. We can do an underground basically uh from this rock bottom substation it'll come down uh the area that you see there looks like a kite uh they'll go westbound on old ox then down shaw road as we construct shaw road and will lead to this property that will be an those will be underground lines yeah i know i understand but

[00:56:36] there still could be load load issues because we the virginia region's having load issues with dominion so we're very cognizant of that the deal that was cut was done probably 18 months ago and in hopes and anticipation of what's before you this evening that has been reserved this has no impact on your important deliberations with regard to any western alignment okay and lastly would you um change the word may to shell in your proffers in terms of affordable housing sure i mean i i think there's a lot of misunderstandings about proffers and zmods and other things we're happy to continue to work with staff okay thank you yes ma'am thank you ms brixman thank you and

[00:57:16] and thank you for your presentation could you go to the overview slide um that shows sort of an aerial view if the first one had what i'm looking for slide one of the staff presentation no of his presentation slide number two ma'am no the one before that yes what will be right here so great question those that is the mechanical area that is right so that that means generators right the generators will be right there correct those were those it's hard to tell by that graphic but those are 20 foot screening. So honestly, I think it's really misleading that you have put

[00:57:53] this image out and it's been in the newspaper and it's been in all of your renderings and you're not showing that there are going to be generators there. Generators that you're required to test once a month and generators that would kick on should we have lack of power for those data centers. That's putting generators right really close to housing and also really close to offices I mean, I don't want houses next to generators, and I wouldn't want to be in an office next to a generator.

[00:58:27] I think that you creatively showed pictures of the fourth floor from, if you want to go to that slide, you showed pictures of the fourth floor of the apartments, but it was cut in such a way that you couldn't see, that you would be able to see from the fourth floor, like the angle was like this.

[00:58:44] But an angle on the fourth floor, you'd be able to look right over the generators, correct? A couple different things, if I may. One, those are 20-foot screening walls. The generators will be... But how tall is the residential building? Great question. So one of the questions that we've had to ask... How tall is the residential building?

[00:58:59] The residential building will be up to about 50 feet, ultimately. 50 feet with a 20-foot fence. So if you're in floor three or four or whatever, you would be able to look right down on generators. We believe it would only be from the fourth floor, and we've been asked at least by one or two supervisors to evaluate putting something on the top of the generator area.

[00:59:16] Can you please go back to the slide that he... The second slide? What's this? That's actually a public use site. That's a school site, correct? It could be. When we did Waterside, we actually proposed what I thought was a very interesting urban, potential urban school site.

[00:59:36] It could be a park site. It could be an urban school. And that's, frankly, one of the reasons we thought residential was entirely appropriate across the street. I agree that residential is really appropriate. I have great respect for Michael Capretti. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have even taken a meeting on this. But I agree with Supervisor Saynes, obviously, that this violates our urban transit area general plan vision, and it puts data centers right next to offices and right next to residential and even a school.

[01:00:08] So thank you very much. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Cobbush, do you know who Robert Simon is? I'm sorry? Have you ever heard of Robert Simon? I've had the privilege of meeting Mr. Simon on many occasions. Yes, ma'am. So then you know that Simon bought the Reston Town Center land in 1964.

[01:00:27] I do indeed. And it's now 60 years that it's taken for Reston Town Center to become what Reston Town Center is. And in some places, it's still growing. My point is, you know, I agree that right now that area has a road that is not, that is not, we have to fix.

[01:00:47] And two hotels are a little historic. But I also believe that when we're doing these, when we're doing these moments, it's our job to have a longer look, a 2040 look, a 2050 look, a 2060 look is our job.

[01:01:05] I think that sometimes you can think about what's good for today, what might be even profitable for today, but the legacy we want to leave is not a legacy of what we can just do today. I have vast amounts of respect for you, and I consider Michael Capretti a very good friend.

[01:01:25] The reason I didn't ask staff questions and the reason I'm not asking you questions is because as much as I respect you and Michael Capretti, I've said many, many times that I don't believe data centers belong in the urban policy area. I believe our long look for the urban policy area is a performing arts center.

[01:01:43] It's a convention center. It is diversifying our economy in many ways. And while I do really want attainable housing, I do not believe attainable housing snuggled up against a data center is appropriate in the urban policy area, because I don't believe that data centers belong in the urban policy area at all.

[01:02:03] They are not interim uses, they are long-term uses, and so once it's there, it changes the entire urban policy area. If this was something that would be there for 10 years, because probably nothing else is going to happen there for 10 years, okay, but it's not. You put a data center there, and then all the things that you need to support the data center is going to be there forever.

[01:02:24] So truthfully, with due respect, and I really do mean that, no developer will ever get me when you ask me to put a data center in the urban policy area. It just is never going to happen for me. It is my respect that will make sure that, for me, that if you all want more time to talk to my colleagues, then I will vote for you all to have more time to talk to my colleagues.

[01:02:50] I think you, and especially Michael, deserve that. But I will also say to you, maybe I'm not who you should spend your time talking to over the next couple of months because you cannot get me on this.

[01:03:05] And I've said that to Michael as well. But I appreciate you very much, and I do think it's a lovely concept. Thank you for your comments. We would like the opportunity to continue a dialogue for anybody who will meet with us. Sure. I always enjoy your all-speed company. Thank you so much, Tony.

[01:03:21] I enjoy yours, too. I really do. Thank you. Okay, we have three speakers on this idol. Our speakers are one in person, who I did see already here, Chris Tandy, and then two, Dorner Tainter and Aaron Walter, and then I guess I'm being handed some more.

[01:03:42] Thank you. Mavis Tainter and Jim Bingle are here as well, but Mr. Tandy, you are first, sir. Good evening, Mr. Tandy. Madam Chair. say good morning. Sorry, good evening. I'm having a bit of a day. But I wanted to be here to put in a comment and ask that you deny this application. It's almost comical to me how many terrible reasons there are for approving it and how many completely valid

[01:04:16] reasons there are to deny it. And you all have said as much. It doesn't match the place type. I love some of the ideas, though, that y'all have had. Like, a performance art center sounds great. Love that idea for this place. I just don't think that data centers are compatible with residential development, no matter how much we call them innovative. So, like, the generators and whatnot, I mean, come on, this is like, I'm actually pretty optimistic that y'all are going and I have this one, and I'll be very glad when you do.

[01:04:54] We need more residential and less data centers, so I'll thank you for denying it. Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to hold the two remote speakers for now because we do have two more people in the room, and it is Mavis Tainter and Jim Bingle, and then we will go to our remote speakers, which is Dorner Tainter and Erin Walter.

[01:05:17] Good evening. Hi. Hello, all supervisors and Madam Chair. So I'm Mavis Tainter, and I'm speaking for myself tonight, and I want to say that right now, we don't have enough power on the grid for data centers that our zoning allows.

[01:05:39] And now we're being asked to approve two data center applications tonight. This particular application is inconsistent with the 2019 comprehensive plan. And the modifications being asked for it, what is being asked here eliminates the essential elements of the town center that was supposed to be part of this area.

[01:06:04] And so the town green and the required civic and public use items are being taken away and haven't really been addressed here in this meeting. So for these reasons, I'm asking the board to vote no on this proposal. Thank you.

[01:06:20] Thank you. Jim Bingo. And then we're going to go to the phones, or the web. Good evening, Ms. Bingle. Good evening, Chair Randall and board members. I'm Jen Bingle speaking on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council.

[01:06:37] As we've said many times, with every data center application, we encourage the board to get better performance standards and other protections in place prior to approving another data center application. This one is no exception, but there are plenty of other reasons why we would encourage you to deny this this proposal as has been mentioned is not consistent with the 2019 comprehensive plan data centers paired with residential are not compatible uses for urban town center space we would suggest that removing the data center and starting over with

[01:07:13] the proposed residential component along with core town center uses would be more in line with the plan. Now in particular, it's critical for the board to stay strong on, to stay on strong legal grounds by following the 2019 comp plan guidance and data centers are not consistent with this type, place type. We understand that you want to keep data centers out of urban transit areas in the future. And in addition, this area falls outside of the airport noise zone. So it should have residential and other commercial uses to diversify the county's economy and provide for

[01:07:51] a better mix of uses in this priority growth area. The incompatibility of the data centers only increase with the special exception request to increase the FAR from 0.6 to 1.0 and the multiple zoning modifications that would mean the scale massing and intensity of the development would be even less compatible with the place type and vision for the area. The modifications would also change the percentage requirements for housing, eliminate essential elements of the town center place type, including the town core, the town green, and required civic and public use space.

[01:08:26] But as you, Chair Randall, said, it's important to consider that what is envisioned by the comprehensive plan can't all happen at the same time. If you can't achieve everything in the plan today, it's okay. Please deny this application. Thank you, Ms. Bingle. Can we go to the phone, please, of our two speakers. Andy, you there? Andy. Yeah, I have Dorna through. I'm sorry.

[01:09:02] Okay, we're ready. Am I on? You are on, ma'am. We can hear you. Okay, great. So I guess you get two Tinkers tonight. I'm Dorna Tinker from Waterford, and I'm speaking to urge you, of course, to deny this application. The staff report makes very clear all the ways in which it goes against the comprehensive plan and gives many strong reasons to deny the application. But of course, the issue of power.

[01:09:31] The applicant claims that there is power, but we all know that that is not true. They also mentioned that the application has an transmission line, which is great, but those lines have to connect somewhere. We're making great progress with data center development, as well as progress with the Western Loudon transmission line, and I need to vote no and continue that work. Thank you.

[01:09:53] Thank you very much. We have one more speaker, and then Mr. Stanton, I'll go to you for a motion. Aaron did not call in today. Aaron did not call in today. Okay, then Mr. Sains, I will go to you for a motion. All right, thank you, ma'am. Madam Chair, I move that the Board of Supervisors Ford Leji 2023-0027 Innovation Gateway, ZMAP 2022-0001, Special Exception 2022-0002,

[01:10:24] ZMOD 2022-0005, ZMOD 2022-0006, ZMOD 2022-0007, ZMOD 2022-0008, ZMOD 2022-0009, ZMOD 2022-0010, and ZMOD 2023-0071.

[01:10:51] to the September 17, 2024 Board of Supervisors' Business Meeting for action. The motion's been made. Second, Mr. Buzzer, the crony. Discussion on the motion, Mr. Sainz. Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[01:11:10] Yes, I think you heard from many of my colleagues. If you're counting from our conversation here, I think it's pretty evident that this, as of right now, would not pass. I'll be honest and say I actually wanted to make another motion this evening, but unfortunately we're down a person, and so it is what it is.

[01:11:35] So this application gets to live until September because we have an August break, and then I'll be making the motion to deny this application unless, as you heard, hopefully, even though you said it earlier when I asked you a question, you can look at removing the data center part of your application, Maybe look at Flex Industrial, hotels, because those two hotels you're speaking about, as it's mentioned, are very historic.

[01:12:01] And one of them that I know of, well, actually both of them, I'll be candid and honest, things are going to change with those hotels. So you have prime real estate for hotels in this corridor. We're going to need it and need some new hotels. So I encourage you to speak to Ms. Beth Erickson.

[01:12:19] She can give you all the information and details about the hotels that we need to have in Loudoun County. this would be a good location to do that more residential uh would be appropriate for this site or as mentioned before doing some more uh retail and some other other uses but data center is not one of them um so until that changes you you will not have my support unfortunately even though i do like some of the things you are presenting especially the attainable housing because as as has been mentioned we need more attainable housing here in loudon county 100 and with the numbers that you are presenting. So I hope you guys can, you and your colleagues can listen to this conversation and hopefully take that to heart and say, okay, you know what, let's do the

[01:12:58] right thing and make some updates and changes and get rid of that data center use and do something else that would get the votes that would be required to pass this application. So other than that, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Sainz. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to commend the applicant. It's one of the most innovative applications I've ever seen. It's really very innovative. It has a whole number of features on it that were very unusual. In my discussions with the applicant, I said, get used to this refrain. You're going to hear it from me a lot in the incoming months and years. Get rid of the diesel generators. There are alternatives to diesel

[01:13:37] generators. At the time we started doing that, to the applicant's credit, they didn't laugh me out of the room. They took notes, and they said, thank you for that input. We appreciate it. I said, institute some power reduction current technology like hydrogen fuel cells, which are existing commercial technology, and reduce the strain on the grid.

[01:13:56] They took that note. And it was a very good conversation with a lot of new ideas on the table that I have not heard before for data centers. The next day, I considered our conversation and called back Mr. Capretti, and I said, I don't want to mislead you. I am almost certainly not going to get past a data center in an urban policy area.

[01:14:15] I'm with Chair Randall on that one. And I don't want you to spin your wheels trying to think that if you manage to do the things that we were talking about that somehow I'll be supportive of this application. I certainly will not. But I really appreciated the conversation.

[01:14:31] Regarding the grid, it is a demonstrated fact that the grid is oversubscribed. I have actual documentation that's two years old from PJM stating to Dominion your grid is grossly oversubscribed. This data center would hook to the grid in an already oversubscribed grid.

[01:14:49] I'm not going to support that, and I won't support new data centers that attach to the grid. So the answer is on-site organic carbon net zero power. That's going to be my answer from now on for new data centers. So I really, two years ago in another location, this would have been a phenomenal application, would have been approved.

[01:15:06] It's just that innovative, and I really respect the people that are building it. But I did want to just express my appreciation to the applicant, but also get some talking points out there that you're going to hear a lot from me from now on. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Turner.

[01:15:24] Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you so much for your presentation. I do appreciate it, and thank you for answering my questions. So the urban policy area is envisioned for dense, urban, walkable, mixed-use, transit-oriented development close to metro stations.

[01:15:41] This has part of that with the housing. I love the housing application part of it, but it doesn't meet our vision for this area. And I actually would disagree slightly with my neighbor from the south that I don't think I would even support flex industrial or warehousing here because that's not what we have envisioned here.

[01:16:04] Reston Town Center was starting when I moved to this area in 1999. They had the core buildings. And now you drive by there in 2024 and you see the Google office building and all the other office buildings there and the restaurants and the retail and all that.

[01:16:22] That is what we're going for here. And Chair Randall kind of took the words out of my mouth when she talked about how long it took Reston Town Center to grow up. It's going to take us a while to grow up here. So I don't think that we need to be rushing into something that's not envisioned for this area.

[01:16:39] Just because we have empty land doesn't mean we have to fill it. It's really hard for me also to get past two recommendations for denial from the Planning Commission and from staff. You're coming with an application with recommendations for denial from both.

[01:16:58] It's really hard for me to get over that. But I'm not going to support the application. I may not even support this motion because I don't know why we are spending time and time at another meeting on this because I don't think it's going to pass. We are doing it largely out of respect for Mr. Capretti because he wanted to be here, but I really think that it would be better for all of us if we just voted the application down tonight.

[01:17:25] The other thing along the lines of what Supervisor Turner was saying, I recently went to a green buildings initiative all-day seminar in combination with green building initiatives and data centers, and they have a lot of really good programs and certifications that the data center community could be working on and that I also hope to implement in our ZOAM and the project we have coming up for data centers.

[01:17:51] But as Supervisor Turner said, we are oversubscribed. It doesn't match our policy area and our vision for this area, so I cannot support the application. Thank you. Thank you. In general, it is my plan when an applicant, It is my practice when an applicant asks for something to be held or deferred to do that.

[01:18:14] There's really not a reason not to do that, especially when the applicant is somebody that has been such a good player for us, somebody whose people, the both of you, who have been honest and fair and upfront and all those things.

[01:18:33] There's just no reason to say no to that request. So the reason I would not have supported voting that down tonight is because we got a request, and I think professional courtesy can rule the day sometime. I do completely agree with Mr. Turner.

[01:18:48] I wish this was another place because some parts of this application are absolutely beautiful. They really are. But, you know, as I said, the urban policy area is just not a place for data centers.

[01:19:04] And although I've never believed that one vote sets a precedent, I don't think it helps to have one vote because I think that the next Native student that comes in in the urban policy area, and there will be another, will point to this and say, well, you've already put one in the urban policy area, so why not more?

[01:19:20] And then you start that kind of cascading effect. And so, with respect, feel free to do what you've got to do over the next weeks, and thank you to the applicant for a beautiful application and for just good talks all around.

[01:19:39] But I will not vote for this because of the data center, and I will not vote for any data center in the urban policy area. Thank you so much, sir. Mr. Sainz, would you like to close? I'll just simply say, listen to what my colleagues and myself are saying up here.

[01:19:57] This is not the right location in the urban policy area. There are other uses that could be, again, take the data centers out and plug something else in. Then we can possibly work and pass this application. So hopefully you guys take that to heart. Thank you. Thank you so much. Motion was made by Supervisor Sane, seconded by Supervisor Glass.

[01:20:15] All right. To move this to the, which meeting in September? The September, so the second September meeting. All people say aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 7-1-1 with Ms. Bricksman voting no and Ms. Letourneau not being on the dais.

[01:20:35] Thank you very much. All right, staff, will you come to the table? I think there are a few people who might be slightly interested in the next item that we have.

[01:20:57] Thank you.

[01:21:24] So I do want to say for the record that I did contact Mr. Letourneau because this is his district, and normally I would really hesitate to do an application, especially one this big, and a public hearing that has, at this point, 80-plus speakers without having the district supervisor in the room.

[01:21:48] So I asked him, and I asked the applicant as well. And Mr. Letourneau, I actually spoke to him and he said, no, he's met with the communities and he will be here for the final vote. So it was fine to go on, even though he is not here tonight.

[01:22:04] And the applicant said that they would prefer to go on as well. And so he won't be here tonight. He can go back and watch the webcast of this. And we probably won't. I'm sure we won't have the final vote tonight as well. So thank you very much. Staff, we're ready when you are.

[01:22:22] Thank you, Chair Randall. Again, my name is Marshall Brown, Department of Planning and Zoning, to present the application for Hiddenwood Assemblage. I do want to note, actually, before I begin, that additional public comments have been received by staff since the staff report was published.

[01:22:38] Staff has received an additional 34 emails from members of the public, both in support and objecting to the application. All emails have been received as of 5 p.m. have been uploaded to the application file on Landmark. I also want to note that there are 45 total comments on the Loudoun Land Applications website.

[01:22:56] Some of those had been migrated over from the previous Lola website. So that change has taken place, so all comments that have been received are online. The subject property is an assemblage of parcels totaling 28.92 acres that is primarily developed with single-family detached houses.

[01:23:15] It is located in the suburban neighborhood place type and is in the Dulles Election District. The applicant is requesting to rezone the assemblage from Countryside Residential 1 to Plan Development Industrial Park under the revised 1993 zoning ordinance. The proposal will permit development of over 756,000 square feet of gross floor area of data center.

[01:23:36] Other uses that are allowed in the PDIP district have been proffered out, including utility substations. This is a proposal of the CDP just to give you an orientation of what we are looking at. this is roughly north-south orientation. The blue areas are building areas, so there are three building areas that are shown on the CDP. Parking areas are in purple. Equipment and mechanical yards are in yellow. Tree conservation areas have been delineated in green, and Hiddenwood Lane is

[01:24:10] shown in the red dashed line to the south of the property. The future Dulles West Boulevard is to the west of the site. And I do want to note that there is a staggered building orientation. So the two buildings, building A and building B, which are the further, the two to the left, are 130 feet, setback 130 feet, and building C is 180. There is an alternate arrangement that is also provided in the CDP, same color scheme. However, this shows another staggered setback of 100 feet, 130 feet,

[01:24:47] and then 180 feet again. I also do want to note that the area that is shaded in orange is potentially where other development areas may be considered if the parcel is integrated into the JK2 technology park to the south. Staff has identified a number of outstanding issues with the applications including the land use and the design. The primary outstanding issue is that this proposal to develop data centers is within a place type that supports single-family detached and attached housing, integrated into a walkable street pattern, no more than 50% non-residential uses and buildings of no more than four stories in height envisioned, rather than the 100%

[01:25:26] non-residential uses on a non-walkable secure site that is not integrated into the surrounding area, as is proposed with this application. Staff has identified issues with the proposed design as well. Excuse me, I'm getting ahead of myself. Staff has identified additional issues with the proposed design, the applicant is proffering additional architectural standards for buildings on site and setbacks that are greater than what the zoning ordinance would otherwise allow. However, staff arguments the applicant proffer additional detail on the CDP, such as specific building footprints rather than a bubble plan, delineate parking areas and

[01:26:03] mechanical bays, and consider providing additional setbacks and landscape buffer enhancements. Staff notes that the CDP shows a speculative plan and specific details should be provided when proposing uses that deviate so significantly from the underlying place type. The Planning Commission did recommend approval of this item at the May 9th work session 4311, and the Commission forwarded this recommendation contingent upon several revisions to be made to the application, including building height setbacks, mechanical equipment testing restrictions, landscaping for the adjacent Briarfield Estates neighborhood, and pedestrian facilities connected to Dulles West Boulevard.

[01:26:43] Due to the outstanding issues that have been identified in the presentation of the staff report, staff is recommending that the board deny the application. It is not consistent with the suburban neighborhood place type and further erodes the county's ability to implement the 2019 general plan. Impacts to surrounding neighborhoods are also not sufficiently mitigated.

[01:27:00] I'm happy to take any questions you may have. - Thank you, thank you very much. Supervisors, this is the Dulles District. Mr. Turner is obviously not here. If you have questions, please put your lights on. Mr. Crony.

[01:27:17] Thank you for the presentation. So the applicant talks about enhanced setbacks. Is that the 180 feet? Is that the maximum of the enhanced setback? That's correct. I'll go back to the CDP. So the area with the 180-foot setback on both of the alternate options is the area that's closest to homes on Ashby Oak Court.

[01:27:41] So you can see it's somewhat faded on the screen that you can see, but this is the end of the cul-de-sac for Ashby Oak Court. So the setback has been pushed a little bit further away from those residences. Okay, but our zoning ordinance, our current one, it's 200 feet. That is correct. Okay.

[01:27:58] And then I think the building height I saw will be restricted to 60 feet. But is it 24 feet in that building C? So the applicant is proffered. This site has elevation that slopes down to the south.

[01:28:15] and they have proffered that it'll be no more visible than a 24-foot building so the building itself may actually be up to 60 feet but visibly speaking from the grade that you would see on ashbyo court would be 24 feet okay and the other two western buildings are 55 feet yes i think i saw that okay and then um what's what's the power commitment um we talked about the grid um strain and is there a utility substation nearby?

[01:28:46] There are utility substations nearby. There is not one on this site that is proposed. They proffered that use out. As for other power commitments, I would defer to the applicant. Okay, and JK? I don't know if JK had a substation or not. JK number two does not have a substation.

[01:29:03] Okay, and how many diesel generators? I don't know. I would defer to the applicant on that as well. Okay, I'll ask that question. And then I guess I'll ask about Loudon water. They mentioned reclaimed water. I don't know if that's being provided. That is a relatively standard referral response for them for data center applications to consider using gray water.

[01:29:24] Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Crony. Ms. Umstead? Thank you, Madam Chair. Do you have a sense of from the materials you have, even though you don't know how many diesel generators there will be, do you have a sense of where they would be placed?

[01:29:46] The equipment in mechanical yards are shown in yellow, so they should be in that area. Any other rooftop equipment has also been, there are noise mitigation measures for that, including parapets. So because a building itself would be the best noise mitigation, are the mechanicals and or generators going to be on the other side of the buildings from the residential community nearby?

[01:30:21] That's correct. In this arrangement, and you can see in this one, too, where mechanical bays may also go. So that is, again, the yellow areas. So this one is a bit closer in this alternate arrangement. All right, thank you. Mr. Quinter, your light off, please.

[01:30:38] Ms. Bricksman. Thank you, Madam Chair. How would you mitigate noise from rooftop mechanical equipment? I would defer to the applicant if there are specific measures they may take. There are building measures that they can also take, including a higher parapet, hiding the mechanical equipment behind that parapet wall.

[01:30:56] A what what wall? A parapet. What's parapet? A parapet wall would be a part of the facade, the wall of the building extending over the Okay, I see. I see. Okay. What other uses might be available to the zoning district that they're trying to move to? So PDIP or IP under the new zoning ordinance is a mix of light and medium industrial uses. This could also be a flex warehouse, office. The intent of the IP district is for an office-like, office park-like environment. Okay. Okay. And then I was a little

[01:31:29] bit confused. On page 12, there's a table, table 3, about trip generation. It says total existing trips, AM peak is 2, PM peak is 6, and weekday total trips are 60. With the proposed application, AM peak would be 114, PM peak would be 117, and weekday total trips would be 1,233. So it looks to me as if the traffic would drastically increase with this application. Am I reading that wrong?

[01:32:01] That is what the table states. The table states that the traffic would, I mean, to me, I call that a drastic increase going from 60 trips per day to 1,233 trips per day. Yes, that is. Would you call that significant from a planning standpoint?

[01:32:17] I would defer to DTCI staff if they can give kind of the yardstick of what they would consider to be significant. But yes, this does show an increase of 1,170 vehicle trips in the weekday. Right. Okay. All right. I think that is all I have.

[01:32:32] Thank you. How did we get here? No, this may be one of the toughest applications I've seen, or the toughest discussions I've seen, because we have two neighborhoods that moved in to their forever homes.

[01:32:54] You know, you move into a home, you have kids, you bring them there, you have graduations and weddings and anniversaries and fights and all those things. And no one, I think, wants to be here right now with these two neighborhoods because there's, this is, you know, this is, do I want to have my right eye poked out or my left eye poked out?

[01:33:16] If nothing else, I think no matter where we end up in this application, there needs to be a bit of a postmortem to figure out how we got here, that we have these neighborhoods that are, that this is happening right now.

[01:33:33] This should not be happening. And I'm not, I'm certainly not, because some of these things happen because you don't update your comprehensive plan for a long, long, long time, right? And that's why you can't do that. And it may not be anyone's fault. It may be a lack of looking down the line 20, 40, 50 years, but we do have to figure out how we got here, no matter what happens with this application.

[01:33:59] I do feel like, and if I'm wrong, please correct me, that there were some things left out of the presentation that might be helpful to talk about. Am I mistaken, is there an issue with construction and ingress and egress into one of these neighborhoods and safety vehicles and that type of thing? Is that a discussion we should be having or at least know about as we try to make decisions? Am I mistaken, if that is not an industrial use of any time, an office park or

[01:34:33] whatever that might be. Could it be a park? What are the other options that it could be? Not what might be zoned to later, but what could it be right now as it is zoned? It just feels like that there's more meat on this bone than we have just chewed on for this presentation. I guess I'm hungry. I haven't eaten today very much. But it just, I don't know that I feel like we're getting the full story. I have driven out here a couple, two, three times in this area, so I do know there's the construction. Can you talk a little bit about some of those other things that maybe

[01:35:13] weren't, because the presentation was absolutely correct, but I don't think it was completely, I don't think it was complete. So can you talk about some of the things that are also lending to some of the reasons that we have landed here today, please, if that's possible.

[01:35:32] And you know what? I should have sent you this question in advance. I apologize for not doing that. That is all right. I will do my best. So part of your question related to construction traffic, there is a proffer in the draft statement that does talk about conditions under which construction traffic would be entering the area. They have proffered that construction traffic will not transit through the Briarfield Estates neighborhood and that there will be a meeting with the briarfield estates community before construction commences so there will be constant

[01:36:07] communication and coordination there's a similar there was a similar profit for jk technology park number two for the hidden wood residents as well so this was patterned after that that is not necessarily mitigating a building impact but the construction process impact so that was part of your question the other part was under the current zoning what could be here yes so this is zone cr1 which is Countryside Residential.

[01:36:34] This is intended to support very low-density residential development. And there are a number of non-residential uses that are available. I believe Park is one. I believe that's allowed basically everywhere. So that is something that could be considered under the current zoning.

[01:36:51] Okay, I'll bring my question back later of how we do a post-mortem, even after we dismiss with the application. I'd be happy to explore that. Thank you so much. Good evening. How are you? Good evening, Madam Chair. I'm doing well. How are you? I am well. I am well. You have 10 minutes. You can sit at the table or stand at the podium either way, but we're ready.

[01:37:11] Thank you, Madam Chair. For the record, my name is Michael Romey. I'm a land use planner with Walsh Colucci. I'm here this evening proudly representing the 16 property owners and residents of Hiddenwood Lane. For the record, the FDA for notice and posting has been submitted. Next slide, please.

[01:37:30] So the Hiddenwood Assemblage subdivision was completed 70 years ago in 1954. Of note, this is four years prior to the establishment at Dulles Airport. The homes on the Hidden Wood subdivision were built in the 50s and 60s and all the way through the early 2000s.

[01:37:46] Next slide. The Hidden Wood subdivision would not be able to have been built during a certain time period after the alien noise contours were adopted. The yellow lines that you see on the screen today were actually put in place to protect the airport, and much of the surrounding planning and zoning was a result of that noise contour.

[01:38:07] You'll notice the Briarfield Estates community just to the north of Hiddenwood, that community was built in the 2010-2012 time frame as a by-right community between the noise contours with existing industrial uses adjacent to it. Next slide, please. So the surrounding zoning, as you can see on the screen, the blue is PDIP or IP, and the purple is GI or PDGI as it used to be known.

[01:38:31] All the yellow stars that you see are all planned slash approved slash under construction data centers. The orange ones that you see are already built, and just the two that are on Racefield Lane leading to Hiddenwood are the cause of much of the disruption that you guys have seen as you've gone out there.

[01:38:49] The hexagons are built or to be built utility substations. Next slide, please. So during the revised general plan, this area, even though it included residential uses, was planned for business and industrial uses. It was always the intent of the plan to protect the airport.

[01:39:05] Fast forward to 2019, and you see the yellow indicating the suburban neighborhood place type. This place type has already changed considerably with certain approvals out there. The precedent has already been set with those approvals and changing the place types based on the facts of those applications.

[01:39:21] There is an arbitrary line between the Hidwood assemblage and the JK2 application that really should have been placed probably in the floodplain area, but it is where it is. The approvals have occurred where they have, and now we're in a situation where we have data centers in the front yard of the Hidden Wood Assemblage Homes.

[01:39:37] Next slide, please. So the intent of this application from the outset was to protect Briarfield as much as possible. The open space that's adjacent to Withridge and Bishop Mead is six acres of contiguous open space with dark, when you see the dark green area, that is a tree conservation area that extends beyond where the setbacks normally would be.

[01:39:57] There is a significant tree stand of evergreens, mature evergreens and deciduous trees facing the Ashfield Court. The closest two homes in Briarfield Estates are no closer than 230 feet from any buildings on the Hidden Wood site. Next slide, please. So one of the main things we worked on with the Planning Commission was reducing the building height and sinking the buildings down.

[01:40:18] If you look at the bottom cross-section, this is the area closest to Ashfield Court. That building can be no higher than 45 feet, and that is in the proffers. There is a significant drop-off from Ashfield Court. So when viewed from Ashfield Court through the tree conservation area of 125 feet and the supplemental tree plantings of evergreens, the building will be no higher than 24 feet above Ashfield Court.

[01:40:41] Next slide, please. So we did a viewshed analysis of the views towards headwood assemblage. This was taken in March when there were no leaves on the trees. Next slide, please. The image that you see now shows the data center.

[01:40:57] We have done our best to try and hide this building. There certainly will be some gaps in the trees, and we are planting supplemental evergreen trees to help fill in those gaps but the building of the data center will be 24 feet above this court which will be no higher than the homes that are existing on this court next slide please we have committed to a lot of building design features that are mirroring what is the new ordinance i won't spend too much time on this but facing towards briarfield estates and towards dallas west boulevard these measures will be implemented next slide please so for the construction commitments that were asked about earlier we have done a number of things

[01:41:33] some of which were at the request of the hidden i'm sorry the briarfield estates residents I'll just point out a couple. The construction timeline, there are construction hours of operation in the codified ordinances that extend beyond these hours. We have limited them to allow for less construction time, which costs more time to build and more money to do it, but we're willing to do it because we think it's appropriate.

[01:41:55] We also are doing pre-construction surveys for anybody in the Briarfield that wants them. If any blasting does occur, that survey will be in place and it can be judged against any blasting that does occur. Next slide, please. The generators will all be ground mounted. We have certain generator testing requirements that are based on the seasonal testing variation that the staff requested.

[01:42:17] We also eliminate any sort of generator testing in no more than one hour, and it'll only be for backup and emergency use only. Next slide, please. So we have implemented all five, or we will be implementing all five of these performance strategies. The top one is the only one I will focus on, which is air-cooled data centers on the site. We will not have water-cooled data centers.

[01:42:37] Next slide, please. So some miscellaneous proffers, I do want to mention the second bullet point down, which is the $50,000 contribution towards the Loudoun County Housing Trust Fund. We recognize that this site is no longer appropriate for residential uses, but we also recognize that there is a need for housing in the county.

[01:42:53] This is the first that I'm aware of that a data center application is providing a contribution towards housing. Next slide, please. We met with the Brideford residents on four separate occasions. They were well-attended meetings for the most part. We've also had correspondence with them on several different occasions.

[01:43:09] taken every one of their comments and included them in our proffer statement and committed to them next slide please this is just a summary of those items the third bullet point down is a significant landscaping contribution that was requested by the residents and also the final bullet point with the sub bullet points we are committed to no more than 55 dbas at the property line for for noise this is the ordinance standard as are the pre-construction and post-construction surveys. Next slide, please. So just in comparison, I just want to recognize the night and day difference between the impacts on Hiddenwood versus the impacts on Briarfield. If you go to

[01:43:47] the next slide, please, this is what Hiddenwood would see out of their front doors. If you go to the next slide, please, this is an even closer image. In the next slide, please, that shows what the data center will look like from the Hiddenwood residents. It is a vast difference from what would happen compared to what would happen in Briarfield. Next slide, please. So there's not just one issue that has caused the residents to get to this point. There are several issues. Number one, the data center. Number two, Racefield Lane is a bit of a disaster. It is a construction zone today.

[01:44:19] Next slide, please. There are multiple large deliveries every day. There is trash on the site. There are data centers all around. If you go to the next slide, please. The airplanes that are flying overhead are a thousand feet above the site and this happens on a regular basis normally over 80 decibels there are house shattering noise levels if we go to the next slide please i just want to turn it over to patricia cave who is a resident and applicant of the hidden wood lane hi good evening chair randall and board board members for the more than two decades the hidden wood

[01:44:53] residents have done our best to work collaboratively with the county whenever policy decisions impacting our lane were considered, but despite our efforts, our small gravel road community has disappeared into a busy landscape, an afterthought overlooked again and again. Until 2019, the county planned for commercial and industrial uses in this area, and with the comp plan and rezoning decisions that followed, our fate was sealed. Our front yards became an arbitrary dividing line between the suburban neighborhood and employment place types, and the county approved a data center just a stone's throw from our front doors.

[01:45:30] At that point, we made the excruciating decision to assemble. Instead of complaining about the wrongs done to us or lamenting our circumstances, we were determined to be part of the solution. We set out to find a plan to escape the years of industrial and road construction facing us and the perpetual reality of living inside a data center park.

[01:45:49] At the same time, we were determined to provide protections for our neighbors that weren't provided to us. In the months that followed, the assemblage process made it clear that rezoning our land for data center was the only viable solution. Since we assembled, we've met with anyone willing, and our representatives have said yes to every request possible, with the goal of making our application the best it could be.

[01:46:12] We've also tried to carry on with our lives. We've had babies, seen kids graduate from high school, experienced professional successes and failures, battled serious illnesses, and some of us have lost loved ones, including two Hiddenwood residents. Despite our efforts, the reality of our situation has become impossible to ignore.

[01:46:33] The circumstances have pushed many of us beyond our breaking point with each day more difficult than the last. More tears have been shed than some of us would care to admit. This application, I'm sorry, this application is our last hope.

[01:46:52] Living on Hidden Wood Lane is no longer an option, and we can't be victim again to political wins that are bigger than us, and we can't be a human buffer. On this application, you have the benefit of hindsight that your predecessors didn't have. You have the ability to rewrite the story of Hidden Wood Lane and turn yesterday's planning oversights into a model for coexistence between data centers and residents in Loudoun County.

[01:47:17] Thank you. Well, thank you. Before I call on my colleagues, I think some of that was the answer to how we got here. And there are times when, you know, decisions that we make that we think are right at the time turn out not to be.

[01:47:38] And for my part in any of that, I apologize. Okay. If you have questions, would you put your light on, please? Ms. Umstead. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[01:48:01] One of my colleagues in conversations about this application suggested the idea of asking you whether it was absolutely necessary to have three data center buildings or if you could work this application with just two.

[01:48:21] Do you have any thoughts on that? Service Rumstead, I think that's a good question. we've heard some consideration of that and I think before we make any sort of commitment we like to evaluate that if it's even an option there is a contract in place on the property how that affects the contract and how that allows the residents to move forward will be the primary factor and taking that under consideration okay thank you miss glass please thank you madam chair and thank you for the presentation is the applicant willing to provide reforestation

[01:48:58] on the eastern portion of their property and if the community agrees in reforestation on open space in the briarfield estates community as soon as a glass yes we would be open to both of those options and in fact we do have a proffer in place for the landscaping contribution for briarfield estates for up to a hundred thousand dollars or four hundred thousand dollars i should say that they can use around camera pairs drive we can expand that to be anywhere on the site if they would like Thank you.

[01:49:32] Mr. Crony. Thank you, Chair Randall. So in the Little River District, I have two areas where data centers are near residential. And I'm wondering if you'd be willing to increase the setbacks.

[01:49:49] The Meadows is near Amazon data centers, which is very close to Hidden Wood. And I've met with Amazon. I've met with the residents. And they are asking for a 500-foot setback. because of the significant impacts to their development in their neighborhood.

[01:50:08] It's just something to consider. I know I believe 180 was the most that you've given with the setback. Yeah, I think that's a good question, Professor Tacroni. We have brought it back as far as we think we can bring it because this is, as you can tell, a very linear site.

[01:50:23] It's very narrow in nature. The further we go back, the harder it is. But if you have a specific measurement in mind, we can take a look at it and let you know if it's possible. Yeah, and then also the True North data center is emitting a lot of noise. And so that 55 decibels, I believe we're going to have to revise the zoning ordinance regarding our noise standards for data centers to include the tonal noise that's emitted.

[01:50:51] That's a constant noise, especially since you're not doing, you're doing air conditioning units, right, for the cooling, right? So it would be great if you could keep that as a thought because 55 is, in my view, not acceptable, especially with data centers.

[01:51:10] We've got to look at it differently because it's a constant emission and it does affect the quality of life of residents, nearby residents. So I do think that that is probably not good enough. We can certainly increase our noise proffer on that to either lower the decibels or address the tonal noise.

[01:51:31] We can definitely do that. Okay. Where is your substation? So we don't have one on the site. We've proffered that use out. The image that I had showed a 300 megawatt substation under construction down Racefield Lane. That's where the power would come from, most likely.

[01:51:48] Is that part of JK? No, no. It's a separate substation. It's not on a JK property. It's possible it could come from another property nearby. But, yeah, if you go to this image, you see the hexagon just to the left of Hidden Wood, kind of left and right there. That one and the one to the north of that are under construction or close to completion at this point.

[01:52:09] Okay, I didn't know about that one. That's interesting. Okay, we might need more information on that one because, yeah, that's not the one next to Willowsford. No, that one is in orange at the very top of the screen there. Yeah. Okay, thank you.

[01:52:25] Thank you. Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair. Was the discussion of two versus three buildings or any kind of innovative data center design brought up with any of the community meetings? I don't believe so, no.

[01:52:43] So we don't know how the residents of Briarfield would respond to that? I take that back. It was in none of our meetings. I know Supervisor Letourne had a separate meeting with him, and I'm not privy to what was discussed during that meeting. I mean, this seems like an ideal case for a radically innovative design for a data center.

[01:53:02] I don't know that it can be done, but I also haven't heard enough information that it can't be done. And if ever there was a case to come up with a really different design for a data center, it seems to me this ought to be it. I'll make the same comment I made about the last application.

[01:53:20] Have we considered not using diesel generators and going with some other kind of generator? We haven't discussed that yet, but I know in your white paper you mentioned natural gas. We can take a look at that and see if it's possible. Yeah, there's a chain of rock. I'm dealing with a company that does hydrogen fuel cells, and they're prepared to do a project for that.

[01:53:42] So the closest substation is 300 megawatts? Correct. There may be substations on other sites, but that's the one that's closest to us. Okay. Thank you very much. Mr. Kirshner.

[01:53:58] Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for your presentation. So this obviously is problematic, and one of the things that I think is very interesting to me that we're actually in the flight path in the 65, I think, in portion of this, right, the new. But with that said, this obviously, I think this kind of, for me, in large part, I know there was some kind of beating around the bush, but this in large part comes down to we don't want Hidden Wood, or excuse me, we don't want Briarfields Estate to end up in the same place that Hidden Wood is.

[01:54:31] And so with that understanding, and I think the neighborhood is trying to do the right thing here and figure out how and i appreciate the applicant what they're trying to do can you kind of go over what you think the highlights are because i think it's important for us all to hear how we're going to ensure that this neighborhood that the adjacent neighborhood does not fall into the same situation that the current neighborhood finds itself in kind of surrounded perhaps the noise mitigation and the work etc obviously the air air flight pattern can't solve that but it's specifically

[01:55:06] as to the data center? Sure. So data centers are approved on two sides of this Hidden Wood site today. I would say the main difference is probably the access. The Hidden Wood residents have nowhere else to go except for down Racefield Lane. If you drive out there, they're creating out Dulles West Boulevard today, but it doesn't exist today. It's still really the only way in and out is through Racefield. The Hidden, I'm sorry, the Briarfield residents go out through Briarfield Lane to our Coal Mills Drive and Belmont Ridge Road. They do not have to drive through this construction area. There are truck trips that go along Briarfield Lane, but it's not nearly at the

[01:55:43] magnitude of what happens on Inwood Lane. And once Dallas West Boulevard is in place, there will be no incentive to actually take that route. In fact, in the JK1 application, there was a proffer put in place to limit anything other than emergency vehicle trips going down Briarfield Lane. So that is a big factor as well. But probably the biggest factor that would help mitigate the impacts are the tree buffers that we're preserving in the open space that's being preserved. I'm not aware of another application that provides this amount of open space this close to the homes there in this area. So I think there are already impacts that are occurring out there today. If you drive through Briarfield Estate, you can see the data center

[01:56:22] at the end, right where the Evergreen Meadows is listed. There's a data center there. There's another one being constructed next to it. They were built with 50% open space and significant buffers on their site so i think there are built-in protections i'm not saying they solve all the problems but it is a significant difference from hidden wood which has lot lines right up to the boundary so in the remainder of my time i i you know mine doesn't work can you believe that tell me buffington where are you when i need you that one doesn't work either so can you just tell me where the entrance is to briarfield because it seems like the the houses the those few houses in the back of the primary?

[01:57:02] It's at the intersection of Cameron Parish and Bishop, I mean, just to the north. It's right off the screen there, yeah, where the arrow is. And they don't, is there a normal route along here at all, as far as you're aware? No, that's a gravel road on Hidden Wood Lane. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Kirsten.

[01:57:19] Mr. Sainz. Thank you, Madam Chair. So for, as of right now, as it stands, it's being proposed three buildings. What is the FAR being proposed for buildings one, two, and three? The total FAR is 0.6, and we're not asking for any modification above that. And in fact, it's probably going to be less than 0.6.

[01:57:35] So 0.6 on one and two, and what would it be? Oh, for the entire site. I don't know what each building is. The entire site is a 0.6. That's how it would be calculated. So the, okay, so all three buildings are 0.6? No, no, the entire site is 0.6. Each, the total square footage is 756,000 as a maximum, but each individual building would be somewhere underneath that range.

[01:57:59] Could you please get me what the FAR for each individual building would be? Okay, you're proposing, you said you're going to do a height for the third one, I guess would be, you said there's a slope, so that's going to be down lower. So what exactly would be the FAR for that? What would be the FAR for buildings one and two, which would be, in your illustration, are showing as taller than building three, correct?

[01:58:20] Yes, the buildings are limited to 55 feet on A and B. Okay, well, like I said, can I get the FAR for each individual building, please? Yeah. And then, was it only just a thought to do data centers for this property?

[01:58:36] Was there any thought of maybe doing Flex Industrial or another use? Yes, we actually had all those. We had all the PDIP uses included, except for some other minor ones that were proffered out. But for various reasons, we've focused just on the data center use. So there's a couple of reasons. Number one, the contract is for data center use.

[01:58:54] It's really the only use that would allow for these residents to leave this area. There's no windfall that's happening. It's purely enough to allow them to relocate. And this contract was signed two years ago without an escalator. So with that time moving on, it's actually decreased in value all the time. So it's a matter of being able to get all 16 residents on the same page.

[01:59:13] It's difficult to get two people to agree on something, much less 16. So there needs to be an agreement in total for that. There's also a vesting issue with this, because if we do anything other than data center, we potentially lose the data center use in the future. So it is a focused use.

[01:59:28] Oftentimes we come in with all the uses in the PDIP district, but in this case, it's to focus use, which does allow us to mitigate those impacts specifically, so there are some benefits. - Well, in the limited time that I've left, I would think that Brightfield folks, possibly, I can't speak for them, but just hypothetically thinking, if it was not a data center, possibly, if it was a flex industrial, maybe that would be something that they'll be more interested in to kind of help both sides to get to an understanding and soften some blows, so to speak.

[01:59:57] But obviously, I understand there's dollars and cents involved and all that stuff, but data centers are carrying or offering some heavy money. So it is what it is, but just think about that. I'll just throw that out there. Maybe another use might be better.

[02:00:14] - If I may, we did, at the start of the assemblage process, we did not just limit the potential opportunities to data centers. That was not our intent from the beginning, but ultimately that was the only, as I said in my remarks, that was the only viable solution I could get all of the residents and a buyer on the same page, given the uniqueness of the size, the shape, the access, et cetera, for the site.

[02:00:38] So we did not, from the start, limit our options to data center, but that really was the only viable option at the end of the day. Okay, thank you. Ms. Bricksman. Thank you. Did you say that the contract is limited to data center, whoever the contract buyer is?

[02:00:55] Yes. It will only be bought if this gets rezoned to data center. Correct, and that's the only issue. And who's the contract with? Steve Lockshin. Who? Steve Lockshin. Okay. And do you know what the price per acre is? I would not divulge that information.

[02:01:12] Okay. But it is, I mean, you can recognize that data center zoned property is going for upwards of $4 million an acre in the county. I'll just say that for me personally, if this goes through and I buy a comparable property in Loudoun County, my mortgage is going to double. I know.

[02:01:27] You guys said it's not a windfall and all that. My mortgage is going to double. In my limited time, I'm going to continue with my questions. Thank you. Is this zoned for residential, do you know? No, that's all data center. This is actually a very dated image. This is data center? Yes, that's all data center. Is that JK1?

[02:01:42] No, no, JK1 is north of Briarfield. It's off the screen. It's off the screen up here. So wherever Green Meadows is listed, that is all Byride data center from the shock area rezoning from 2005. Okay. Do you have a commitment for power? We don't have a commitment for power at this point.

[02:01:59] So at this point in time, you don't know if there will be power on the grid for these three data centers? No, but the site won't be a data center if there's no power. That's interesting. Okay. So that's interesting. Can I quickly ask staff a question, Madam Chair?

[02:02:18] JK1, you may or may not know the answer to this, and I didn't let you know I was going to ask this, but you said this is CR1. It is a very odd-shaped property, but it's CR1, right? That's correct. Correct. Do you know if Evergreen Meadows, JK1, JK2, and JK3 were CR1 when they were rezoned?

[02:02:36] I do not know JK1 off the top of my head, but I do know that JK2 was a CR1 conversion. And JK Tech Park 3, I believe, may have been RC, but I can double check, rural commercial. Okay.

[02:02:52] And the Evergreen Meadows spot, do you happen to know? That I am not aware of at the top of my head. Okay. But that happened a long time ago. You said, Mr. Romy, like 2005. Did you say 2005? There was a settlement with the county in 2005 for the shocker property. But it wasn't just that property.

[02:03:08] It was everything around it. The wills for residential was part of that as well. Okay. And you're aware that in our data center remapping project that came before the board last week, that we have decided we will not be remapping any suburban neighborhood place types to this type of a place type.

[02:03:29] Even though it was recommended or looked at, we are not doing that by rule. Yeah, I understand. By rule. Yeah, I saw there was a map that was shown that showed the JK1 site is going to suburban employment. That's why I brought that up in our conversation. Right, right. Okay, thank you. Thank you.

[02:03:46] So I don't have a great mind's eye. I mean, I don't really see things in my mind very well. So from this point where I'm sitting, what's 300 feet? Is it Tuscarora, the Tuscarora across the street? Is that called? Yeah. What's 300 feet?

[02:04:02] Help me understand. If I'm standing in here, where's 300 feet away? A football field is 300 feet, effectively. That is not helping, man. I mean, tell me, as I sit here, give me an idea of out there which three hundred feet. So if you look at the back of this room, I think this is only about 60, 70 feet.

[02:04:18] Okay, so it's like to Tuscarora Mill over there. I don't know if it would be that far, but it's definitely further back. It's further. It's much further back than this room. If I may. To Tuscarora? To the parking lot.

[02:04:38] That's the parking lot over there. Oh, Tuscarora parking lot. Okay. All right. part of the parking lot. Okay, that helps. That helps. This one has an idea. You said something, you caught my ear and you said something that I hadn't thought about. You talked about blasting as a data system is being built. If a house is 300 or even less feet away, could blasting harm the foundation of a home that's that close? Because I would think if your briarfield, you're not feeling that either, to be honest. Yeah, so there was some blasting that took place on the adjacent properties, and we actually got the data for that.

[02:05:14] This is where this kind of came up in one of our community meetings. So the blasting took place during a very specific period of time. We got that data, but the residents assumed there were a lot of other things that were related to the blasting, but in fact, it was just the construction that was happening around them with the road and the data center.

[02:05:29] So in reality, it's probably not going to have an impact, but because we want to go the extra degree, we're agreeing to pre-survey all the homes that requested within Briarfield. So I'm not sure if there would be an impact, but we're willing to do that anyway. So, and then do what? So you pre-severing their homes, and if you find out there was an impact, then what are you doing?

[02:05:47] Right, if there's a claim, then we would fix the problem, whatever it is. If it's something to do with the foundation, and in fact, there were questions about out exterior patios and fences. And would that be a writing somewhere? It's in the proper statement, correct? It's in the proper statement, so I missed that. Okay, all right, well, that's helpful.

[02:06:05] Okay, all right, I've met with everyone. So, Mr. Romeo, can you tell me from the time that you and I met and with the community before that was, I don't remember what that was, that was August the last year, there have been a good deal of changes to this application since then.

[02:06:25] Can you walk me through some of those changes and why? Because if I say I'm going to do something, I'm talking about what I'm going to do at that time with what I'm looking at. but if a lot of changes have been made, then can you walk me through the changes and why?

[02:06:42] Can you help me with that? - Sure, there are too many to mention just in our conversation, but I will say we have updated the application at every turn, every staff referral, every time we met with the Planning Commission. I would say the major changes are the increased setbacks. We originally just had a 100-foot building setback from Ashfield Court.

[02:06:58] We increased that to 180 feet. Same thing on the rest of the property. It was at 35 feet. That's now 100 feet on the western portion of the site. We've lowered the building height. This was a primary point of discussion at the Planning Commission, was the building height. We were allowed at 60 feet.

[02:07:14] We dropped the eastern building to 45 feet, the two western buildings to 55 feet. But if you look from Briarfield at the property line, those two buildings could be no higher than 50 feet because we would sink them down. And then for the 45-foot building, it would be no higher than 24 feet above the cul-de-sac at Ashfield Court.

[02:07:32] So those are the main changes, but we've also expanded the tree conservation area. We've expanded the open space on the site. I think we had two acres of tree conservation area. Now we have over three and a half. The open space is 40% of the site. There's a number of other things, but it would take me the rest of the night to probably go through them.

[02:07:50] Okay, all right, that's helpful. Thank you very much. All right, we have, I think, no kidding, like 80 speakers tonight. So let me just do a couple things. One, per our rules of order, we don't do cheering or jeering, either one. If you like what is said, you're welcome to Jazz Hands, but we don't cheer or jeer.

[02:08:07] It's a lot of speakers, and everyone who signed up is more than, if you want to speak for your entire two and a half minutes, absolutely. You can also stand up and associate yourself with somebody else's comments if you want to, or ask people who are in agreement with you to stand up as well.

[02:08:25] If we get to you and you feel like what you wanted to say has been said multiple times already, you can do that as well. But if you do want to speak and you're signed up, then you then absolutely do that as well. Bless you. OK. Yes. All right. I'm going to call your names.

[02:08:42] I'm trying to call names like about three in advance. And so you can kind of get yourself out of the out of the pews. They look like pews of the pews and and and be ready when you when you're when you are called next.

[02:08:58] And the first name is a name that I do not want to mess up saying. The first name is Mimi, and the last name is H-A-I-L-E-G-I-O-R-G-H-I-S. And then you'll be followed by Himal Patel, Varun Patel, Anaya Patel, and Bindi Patel.

[02:09:20] Good evening. Good evening. Could you state your name for me, if you don't mind? Sure, absolutely. Mimi Haile-Giorgis. Okay, thank you. I'm here on behalf of the Hiddenwood Assemblage application to rezone. My friends purchased their home on Hiddenwood Lane as their long-time family home.

[02:09:41] During many visits, I have personally experienced the safety hazards faced by my friends and the residents of Hiddenwood. Construction has escalated over the last two years. With each day that this application is not approved, construction moves closer to the Hiddenwood community.

[02:09:57] They find themselves overwhelmed and burdened by surrounding land use that will permanently change the nature of their small community. They are within as opposed to surrounded by industrial development. Unlike other neighborhood in the area, Hiddenwood's only community access through a prescriptive easement across lane now approved for data center construction.

[02:10:21] If the residents are forced to remain boxed in on a Hiddenwood lane, they will forever be part of the industrial landscape. The treed view from the front of their homes will become a massive data center building. They will face ongoing risk to their well water, increased low-flying airplane noise, and loss of walkability within and around their community due to additional and compounding land use factors.

[02:10:49] It is obvious to anyone who visits the residents of Heddenwood that their applications to rezone is a common-sense solution to a unique and a serious problem. The county cannot roll back past decision, but it can make this community whole again by approving the head and word application.

[02:11:07] And thank you for the opportunity to speak on their behalf. Thank you, ma'am. Next is, I believe, just the entire Patel family. Good evening, sir. Not the entire Patel family, just a couple of them. Okay. Can I ask a favor?

[02:11:23] Could you put the other map up, the one with the blue and the yellow stars, if that's possible? You can do that. We're going to start running your time, though. That's fine. Not a problem. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to ask all the residents of Briarfield to stand up, whoever's in the room, please, just so you can get to see the faces and residents. This is probably less than 20% of our 350 residents in our 72 homes.

[02:11:42] Thanks, everyone. You can take a seat. Right, so I just want to quickly, I'm changing things as we go a little bit. I just want to state one thing. Mike Romeo said that he had addressed everything that had been written to him. That's a lie. You can quote me on that, read the transcript. I'll bring you all the facts and figures.

[02:11:58] He lied to you, but thank you. And now I'll actually start my statement. So this evening, I'm going to hear about a dozen or more pressing concerns that we have about this application. As you see on the image behind you, we weren't allowed to send in images in, but this is really useful. The seven stars to the north of us were rezoned during COVID.

[02:12:15] The one star to the south of Hiddenwood was rezoned as well. That gives you an idea of how we got here. This is all due to rezoning. I actually want to thank the lady who spoke just before me, because everything she said that impacts Hiddenwood. If this gets approved, that impacts us. And it's no last line of defence.

[02:12:32] We're then boxed in. We are then the centre of a data centre hub, except we'll be residents. I feel like I want to be that guy from up, except there are no balloons to fly my house away. You're going to hear about blasting and foundations and construction and demolition. Here's another interesting point. I'm a civil engineer.

[02:12:47] When I asked in the proffers, can you proffer in chemical cracking, Mike Romeo said no. So he didn't address all the proffers. Isn't that magical as well? And I apologize for my sarcasm, but I'm really getting annoyed with the lying that the guy did. Let's talk about one other thing in a bit more detail. The application proposes increasing the noise levels around our neighborhood.

[02:13:06] I sent around today, I hope everyone got it, noise readings that I undertook, borrowing on a low-bono credentials from a professional company, and we took nighttime noise readings, six and a half days rather, and we got 32 to 38 decibels nighttime between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., which is typical of a suburban community in Ashburn, and now it's proposed that we go up to 55 decibels at the fence line.

[02:13:31] Just to give you some context, guess what 55 decibels is? Nighttime, 10 p.m. in D.C., and you're not allowed to exceed that. Again, go and check with Mayor Bowser. They have great papers on this stuff as well. So it's amazing that you want more than 3.5x our noise. That's just crazy. The view sheds.

[02:13:47] It's nice to take a photograph seven houses back, but no one wants to take a photograph from Indira's house at 24054. That would be a great picture to look at. You cannot approve this. Two rights do not make a wrong. I hand over to the remaining Patels. Thank you. Varun, Anaya, and Bindi.

[02:14:07] Good evening. There you go. You can pull it down a little bit more. There you go. Hi, my name is Varun Patel. I'm 10 years old. Six years ago, when JK1 was zoning happened behind my house, my parents trusted Mr. Kuhn and Mr. Tony Buffington to protect us, and they did not.

[02:14:26] My dad said sorry to me that they were not well-informed enough and trusted the board. And then nobody from the county protected us from dump trucks now or the generators that will be behind our houses in two to three years in JK1.

[02:14:42] We will see day centers to the north, to the west, and to the south, and also on Belmont Ridge Road. I have allergies to dust and dust mites, which give me eczema. This data center and their construction create lots of dust that make my allergies bad every day.

[02:14:59] You can look at my elbows and knees where my skin becomes red and bleeds because of irritation. When you approve this data center, you will be giving me five years of construction noise, dust, and air pollution on all sides.

[02:15:15] Once these data centers are built, they will give 55 decimals of loud noise like I hear in D.C. when I go to my dad's office. My dad tells me you are the supervisors and you are here to protect everyone in Ashford. I would like to know how you are going to protect me, my sister, and my friends.

[02:15:35] Why do you keep rezoning and building more data centers right on top of our houses? This is not fair. Day centers are noisy, create light pollution, and they will keep us up at night. Have you heard the buzzing at Dulles Landing by my school? I go to Eleni Thompson Elementary School, and we have day centers on two sides of our school.

[02:15:54] Why do you have to put day centers by our homes as well? You must stop and think about me and my friends. I do not know how much you are in charge of, but you are the supervisors. I'm only 10, and I have no idea what you do. But Taekwondo, Master Choi is my supervisor, and he looks after us.

[02:16:14] Elaine Thompson, Principal Sparbeni, and Mrs. Robinson are in charge, and they look after us. You are the supervisors. You are here to look after us. I need you to send this to the planning people and the engineers again. Thank you. But when you're 10 years old, you did a great job.

[02:16:30] You did a great job. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Can we get that microphone a little lower? Okay. All right. Do we have a, yeah. Do we have? There you go. There we go. Hello, supervisors.

[02:16:46] My name is Anai Patel, and I'm eight years old. I live in the Brierfield Estates where you want to build more new data centers close to our home. I'm really worried, and I hope you can help. The big data centers make a lot of noise all the time.

[02:17:04] I hear them when I'm at school at Elaine Thomason. It will get really loud and scary. We have granted giant dump trucks behind my house already.

[02:17:20] My friends and I love to play outside, but the noise is so bad with the dump trucks now. And with more diggers and blasting to come, we can't play anymore. It makes us scared and we will just have to stay inside.

[02:17:40] We shouldn't be afraid to play in our own yard and be scared of trucks on the road behind us. The dust from building the data centers will be everywhere. It can't get into our eyes and make us sick.

[02:17:56] My mom says it can make us sick. I don't want my friends or my brother to get sick because of the dust. We need places to play and feel safe.

[02:18:13] We don't need more data centers so close to where we live. Please, please read your plan. Help us keep our neighborhoods quiet and clean. We are just kids and we need your help to make sure we can have fun and stay healthy and clean.

[02:18:36] Thank you for listening. Good night. Wow, you are also just fantastic. You and your brother are equally good. All right, we have Bindi Patel, followed by Manish Gupta and Sayonya Gupta.

[02:18:54] Actually, the Gupta family. Good evening. Good evening, supervisors. My name is Dr. Bindi Patel. I'm a practicing dentist here in Ashburn. I was born in Manassas, and we moved back to Loudoun County to set up my forever home in Briarfield Estates.

[02:19:10] I moved here to provide a stable, nurturing environment for my family, and tonight I stand before you deeply concerned about the proposed rezoning of our housing land for construction of data centers near our homes. As a mother and a health care professional, I see firsthand the impacts that environmental factors can have on our health and well-being.

[02:19:29] The constant noise from the data centers is more than just a nuisance. It's going to become a significant disruption to our daily lives. My children are already scared to play outside because of the incessant noise from the dump trucks running outside the JK1 proffers, and nobody does anything.

[02:19:44] My kids deserve to enjoy their childhood and play in peace and not confined indoors due to the overwhelming sounds of construction machinery followed by the data center hums and generator noises. Additionally, the construction and operations of these data centers produce dust that pose serious health risks.

[02:20:03] Dust can cause respiratory issues, particularly in children whose lungs are still developing. My children, like many others in our community, are already showing signs of distress, frequent coughing, and irritated eyes. This is unacceptable and preventable. Our lifestyles are already being disrupted by rezoning to the north for the JK1 Tech Park by Chuck Coon.

[02:20:24] This next expansion is going to alter the character of our community, permanently transforming it from a peaceful residential area into an industrial zone. They want to foist an urban noise level on our community. These stresses of constant construction noises and dust is already eroding the quality of life that drew us to Loudoun County in the first place.

[02:20:42] As a dentist, I understand the need for technological investments and economic growth. However, these data centers should not be placed at the expense of our health and well-being. There must be a balance between progress and preserving the sanctity of our homes and our community's health. I implore you to reconsider this rezoning plan.

[02:20:59] Our families need your support to ensure that our neighborhoods remain safe and a healthy place to live. Please also help us protect our children from the noise and the dust that threaten our well-being and preserve the quality of life we cherish in Loudoun County. You must send back for further development and add far more protection for us.

[02:21:18] Otherwise, you are just magnifying Hidden Woods' avoidable issues and throwing it on us. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Manish Gupta and then the Gupta family, followed by Bala Umaya.

[02:21:36] Good evening, sir. Good evening, supervisors. I have resided on Ashby Oak Court. My house is the second house where this building C is proposed, and I am here to oppose the hidden rezoning for the construction of data centers. Supervisors, with all due respect, you are sitting there because of the trust and votes of people like us.

[02:21:57] And now we find ourselves sitting in front of you due to this ill-conceived and reckless rezoning decisions made in the past to build these data centers throughout Loudoun County so conveniently. Your election manifestos, which I studied, promised prudent and balanced land use, careful land rezoning, and making housing more affordable.

[02:22:17] Yet in contrast, one community is selling their homes and the other community is trying to fight the rezoning to have these data centers not built. This is basically a blatant disregard for our well-being which is caused by this situation. So some of you have actually hold predecessors accountable for some of these decisions, but I urge you not to use this excuse to approve this application because that will affirm status quo and discrimination towards prior field community who are bearing the brunt of same decisions that have been hurting us for the last few years.

[02:22:50] You hold a position of significant responsibility and must rectify this now. Now, let's consider a few things. Hiddenwood claims hardships from Biara data centers constructions, right? Briarfield also has endured the Yonder data center constructions for two years as well.

[02:23:06] Hiddenwood has one point of entry and exit, but the completion of Dulles West Boulevard will resolve that. Now, Hiddenwood does have the privilege of having one residential community next to them, which is us. But once this reason happens, Briarfield will have no community left to us. We will be completely surrounded by the data centers, as you see in the picture.

[02:23:24] Hidden Wood has 20 homes and approximately 100 residents. Briarfield has 72 homes and more than 300 residents. Now, please do the math who suffers more if you approve this application. And the visuals Mr. Romia actually showed about the projected data center image for them, how bad they look.

[02:23:42] Please come and look at the Yonder data center, which is already there, no projection needed. Please come and look at how bad it looks. Now, if Hidden Wood residents really want to leave, why not sell their home on the open market like everyone else? If individual buyers are ready to purchase these houses besides the data centers, that's a positive sign.

[02:24:00] Why do they need to actually rezone this? This is clearly a money-grubbing data center developer seeking to maximize profits at the expense of our community. This is outrageous. So I sincerely hope that the sanity and fair judgment will prevail in your decision, and you will consider this. Thank you very much.

[02:24:15] Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening. Hello, everyone. My name is Siona Gupta. I am 14 years old and I am an Asheville court resident and proud member of the Briarfield community for almost 10 years. I would like to start off by saying that I am not immune to the fact that due to the rise of the digital age, the need for digital storage has increased. However, I strongly believe that you are overlooking the harmful disadvantages of building the data centers near the residential areas. Clearly, you are passing a blind eye to

[02:24:51] this issue because it seems to me that we need a 14-year-old to increase your awareness on information about the data center reconstruction in other parts of the world to start off it seems that the county officials are either ignoring or aren't aware of this but in this very county in the loud and youth step-up program a group of hard-working high school students did a study on the effects of data centers here compared to the effects in europe what they found was that in europe they have an energy efficient principle which states that they will not produce more energy than needed and they will reduce the heat energy coming from the data centers meaning that the consumption of energy would go down leading to less greenhouse gas emissions as a result of

[02:25:28] these goals since 1990 the greenhouse gas amount has dropped by 31 in europe but we aren't reusing our energy or setting realistic goals in terms of reducing the concentration of greenhouse gas emissions the study done by the high schoolers also concluded that loudon county is lacking transparency in terms of the effects of data centers and the residents are kept in the dark oh and by the way the project done by the high schoolers was judged by a panel of loudon county representatives, and they were chosen as one of the winners. Do you see as the cruel irony here?

[02:25:58] On one hand, the county highly regards this academic project, and on the other, you continue to build more data centers that we don't have a consumption plan for resources. Now let me talk about my personal reason for not wanting these data centers here. Every summer, my grandparents visit us, an event we all look forward to for months. My grandfather especially is an avid walker.

[02:26:17] However, he is also asthmatic and a heart patient. In the last couple of summers, whenever he would walk by the Yonder data center near the Cameron Parish Drive, he would start to cough and feel chest pains due to the air pollution and did not enjoy all the noise and construction activity, which made him stop walking near that data center. But now, if you put a data center near my home, he will have a tough time to even sit on the porch or even sit in my own backyard. After living a long and struggling life, this is supposed to be their time to relax, but you guys are taking that away from them. I sincerely hope that you take my input into account and realize that there is still time to make the right choice. Thank you. Thank you, young lady. Our next speaker, and then after

[02:26:56] Ms. Gupta, would be Bala Luma and Retham Reddy, followed by Ronak Patel. Good evening. Hello, everyone. My name is Mariah Gupta, and I'm 11 years old. I've lived in Ashbyo Court in the Browfield community for most of my life, and I love it here. But when the tremors started in October of 2022, I was really scared. There were tremors every day for a week. It turns out they weren't from an earthquake, but they were from the blasting from data centers being built close to my neighborhood. The whole house shook up. My parents worked very hard to afford this home and keep me safe. But to know that your decisions are making it impossible, it just shakes me to the

[02:27:36] core, even more. I wish you were in my house during those tremors to see how scary it was. Instead, you keep approving more data centers, making our lives miserable. My anxiety from those tremors cannot be undone, but stopping the new data centers being built near my home will definitely help. If you think helping only the Hiddenwood residents is a good idea, let me tell you guys a story. Once there was a wise monk passing through a village where he heard cries for help. He saw wounded and dead soldiers floating down a river. The villagers begged him to help the wounded soldiers, but instead of jumping into the river to save them, the monk decided to climb up the mountain where the river began. The villagers were shocked and angry, thinking he was ignoring

[02:28:13] the suffering right in front of him. When the monk reached the top of the mountain, he found a fierce battle taking place. He talked to the leaders on both sides and helped negotiate a peace deal, stopping the fighting. By doing this, he stopped more soldiers from getting hurt in the first place. For the greater good of the community, the monk chose to fix the main problem rather than just the symptoms. So if you choose only to help the 20 hidden wood homes, many more people in my community will suffer. Be like the monk and solve the bigger issue by not building new data centers near our home. And do you realize your decisions are ruining our environment too? We're looking at

[02:28:47] water and energy crisis, less greenery, more pollution, and more fossil fuel use. You were chosen to make our lives better. With all due respect, I believe you're making it worse. Can you look into the eyes of your kids and grandkids and say that you are making Loudoun County a better and safe place to live for generations? At this rate, I bet you can't. This affects my childhood and the lives of other kids in my community. It's not all about money. There's more to life. I should be able to go outside and enjoy my neighborhood, but instead we're suffering because of these AIDS centers.

[02:29:19] This is coming from an 11-year-old. So maybe you guys need to go back to school and learn why this is all so bad. I hope that you take my input into account and use common sense to make the right decisions. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, young lady. Bala, Flumaya, followed by Ratham Reddy, followed by Ranak Patel.

[02:29:44] Good evening. Good evening, ma'am. Can I use this podium? I'm sorry? Yes, of course. Yeah, I just wanted to balance it out. No, no, no, of course you can, sure. Okay, thank you. Good evening, Board of Supervisors. My name is Bala Thumba, and I am the long-term resident of Biofield Estates. I've been living in this community for the past 12 years, and we have been the fourth resident who came into this neighborhood.

[02:30:04] I'd like to talk about a few of the proper statement inconsistencies that the applicant has submitted. We just want to make it clear as to what has been spewed onto us by getting us into too many proper statements from initial stage, absence of the current form after numerous meetings we had with the applicant and their representatives raises severe and significant issues. Firstly, the subjective nature of the applicants proposed reasonable time to fix. Damages caused by data center construction such as blasting and heavy machinery is a cause for concern. Urgencies for us, like immediate repairs to

[02:30:39] basement cracks and leaks, often contrast sharply with project manager's interpretation of what constitutes a reasonable timeframe there was no clear definition of what is a reasonable timeframe my basement leaks and my basement cracks and I am expected to have a project manager on my home who will be taking the reasonable amount of time what exactly is the reasonable amount of time is the question that I'm asking for the applicant additionally the proposal to install generators in proper buffer zones proposes further challenges I'm going to read proper statement here generators shall be placed behind the buildings located I adjacent to the northern property line of Briarfield Estates.

[02:31:19] These generators intended to be sold back up power source due to shortages will undoubtedly increase noise and pollution and significantly impacting the daily lives and community tranquility. The decision to pursue rezoning to PDIP rather than exploring simpler alternatives such as utilizing Dulles West Boulevard for access or seeking a simple easement from Briarfield Estates to the hidden food residence raises questions about the region necessity to PDIP. The simplest solution could have been asking for easement from Bradfield Estense into their community. And in his response to the proffers by Mr. Mike Romio,

[02:31:57] but apparently we have been working with him for the past five years. It's been, I mean, we have been working with him for the past five years on other reasoning applications too, along with Mr. Kuhn, which I will read it out. Multiple bi-ride data centers are either completed or under constructions nearby, already altering the character of the surrounding area to accommodate these facilities. These proposed applications aim to establish the guidelines for this. Contrary to the sessions, the current profits represent the best available options. Previous reserving applications suggest as a recurring trend undermining the impacts of data centers on residential areas.

[02:32:31] Sir, your time's up. Okay, thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you. With Raitham Reddy, followed by Ronak Patel, followed by Meena Nair. Good evening. Good evening. Good evening, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.

[02:32:48] Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of my community. My name is Reetha Mredi, and for 12 years I have been living in Briarfield Estates. I want to talk about something that's really affecting our whole community, the new data centers being built around our homes. They might seem like a good idea to some people due to the rise in the county's revenue, but they're making our lives a lot harder.

[02:33:05] Firstly, the construction and operation of data centers generate considerable noise pollution. In Briarfield Estates, we as residents have already experienced disruptions from nearby data center developments such as those by Yonder and JK Holdings. The constant noise from construction activities, heavy machinery, and cooling systems is a major disturbance to the peace and tranquility that we need for healthy development. This ongoing noise can also lead to stress, sleep disturbances, and concentration problems. In addition, the heavy traffic from construction and maintenance vehicles contributes to air pollution. This pollution can lead to other respiratory issues, leading us to not be able to be outside. Furthermore, the construction

[02:33:43] activities and resulting traffic is making certain areas unsafe for us. For example, we used to hang out in the cul-de-sac up on Cairn Bears Drive. However, ever since the development of the Yonder data center, that has not been possible. This led to our parents keeping us indoors to avoid the risk of heavy machinery and pollution. This restricts our freedom to explore and play outside. While we have a 0.5 acre lot and spacious backyards, most of the community's backyards run through the construction traffic through Bryford Lane, which leads to no restful places. In conclusion, while the growth of data centers is essential for supporting our digital age, it is crucial to consider the broader impact on communities like Bridefield Estates, particularly on our children.

[02:34:19] From noise, pollution, and environmental degradation to reduce green spaces and psychological effects, the presence of these facilities makes life significantly harder for us. As we continue to expand our digital infrastructure, we must find a balance that respects and preserves the well-being of the residents and communities.

[02:34:35] Thank you for your time, and I hope that a sensible compromise is made to ensure that our lives will continue to be peaceful. Good job. Thank you. Dwanak Patel, followed by Meena Nair, followed by Vinaya Nair. Can I get slide three, please? I don't know what that means. Slide three. I still don't know what that means. I don't know if I don't know. Picture three. Sir, are you talking about from the from the applicant? Yes, from the from the applicant. The applicant slide three. Can you guys can you bring that up? There we go. Okay. Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you. Good evening. Appreciate everyone's time and

[02:35:13] looking into this matter. We moved into this community in 2013, fully aware of the planned developments, including a shopping center, including additional homes and a large park nearby. I moved in this community with both my parents, my two young daughters, and both my parents used to walk in the entire neighborhood, just enjoying the peace and quiet and the lively atmosphere that has in that community when we moved in. This is not, I mean, after obviously

[02:35:49] what's going on lately, this is not what we signed up for. We cannot endure relentless traffic noise, increased air pollution, and the dangers these changes pose to our families. We are here because we care deeply about our community and our quality of life. We stand united in opposition to the proposal of building a data center near our homes. Let me highlight some critical concerns that underscore why this project poses it a significant threat to our community's well-being. Our community, our quality of life is at stake. Data centers by their nature are massive facilities that operate

[02:36:24] around the clock. This constant activity disrupts the peaceful and safe environment we currently enjoy. We don't want to face unrelenting noise, increased traffic, and industrial scale infrastructure in our residential space. Data centers require significant cooling systems, often powered by large diesel generators, as you guys know. These generators emit pollutants that can degrade the air we breathe, increasing level of nitrogens, particularly affecting children and the elderly.

[02:36:57] We cannot allow the community to become a hotspot for pollution, sacrificing our health and the health of our loved ones for corporate interests. I have other things too, but I just want to say something. If you look at that map, if all of you look at that map, if you approve Hiddenwood, we are literally a baloney in that sandwich because we are stuck in the middle of everything. Our life is at stakes. Our children's lives are at stakes. And we cannot, what happened yesterday from all your colleagues, it's gone. We cannot deal with it. We got to look at today

[02:37:32] and go on tomorrow. Everyone's legacy here determines what happens about this application. So please think about that. Your legacy depends on that. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Mina Nair, followed by Van Aya Mar, followed by, the last name is S-A-K-A-L-A, I think it's Sturify. Good evening.

[02:37:58] Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair. Good evening, board members. This is Mina Nair, and I live in Ashby Oak Court, which is very close to the proposed data center, and I'm here to express my strong opposition to the proposed data center in our neighborhood.

[02:38:16] My husband, son, and our dog, and I have been happily living in this community for the past 10 years, cherishing the peace and tranquility it offers. I'm alarmed by the potential negative impacts this development would have on the air quality, health, and overall quality of life.

[02:38:37] The foremost concern I have is the poor air quality, the emissions from the cooling system and generators of the proposed data center pose a significant threat to the health of my family as well as to the children, the elderly, and the individuals with pre-existing health conditions in our community.

[02:38:55] My son and I are asthmatic, and increased emissions from power, backup generators, and reconstruction work would worsen our respiratory problems, leading to higher medical expenses and a degree's quality of life. As simple, hardworking people, we rely on our good health to maintain our job, which are crucial for paying off a mortgage and making ends meet.

[02:39:20] We cannot afford to compromise our health. Additionally, I'm concerned about the noise from the prolonged construction activities, which would disrupt our daily lives, and also the increase in construction traffic, posing a significant safety risk.

[02:39:36] The cumulative effects of these issues would significantly affect the peaceful environment we currently enjoy, impacting our mental well-being. I urge you to consider the well-being of a community and the long-term impacts of this data center would have on our health and environment.

[02:39:52] I request that you visit our neighborhood to see firsthand the concerns we have raised. Making an informed decision requires understanding the actual impact of the residents who will be the most affected by this project. I hope you'll take up please seriously and reconsider the approval of the data center proposal.

[02:40:11] Our community's health, safety, and peace of mind depend on it. It is unfair that after all the sacrifices, money and time we have invested in living a peaceful life in a forever home, we should have to face the consequence of a data center in our backyard.

[02:40:28] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Vinaya Neer, followed by Struthi Sakaila, followed by Vandana Keshaba. The next speaker is, yeah, Vinaya Neer.

[02:40:54] Oh, you were that. Oh, you spoke for both. Okay, thank you very much. I appreciate that. Sruti Sakala, followed by Vandia Keshava. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak tonight.

[02:41:13] My name is Sruti Sakala, and I live at 24042 Ashby Oak Court for the past 10 years. I want to address a topic that has been on our minds recently, the construction of data centers around our neighborhood and its potential impact on the health and well-being of our younger generation. Data centers are essential to our digital world, soaring and managing the vast amounts of information that power our online activities.

[02:41:35] However, their presence in our community comes with significant considerations, especially concerning the health and development of our children. Firstly, the construction phase of these data centers can bring increased noise, traffic, and disruption. For our children, this can mean interrupted sleep, heightened stress, and difficulty concentrating on their studies.

[02:41:52] The constant noise and commotion can create an environment that is not conductive to their learning and overall well-being. Once operational, data centers continue to pose challenges. These facilities require substantial electrical power and robust cooling systems, which often run continuously.

[02:42:09] This can lead to persistent low-level noise and vibration, which over time can affect our children's ability to focus, relax, and enjoy their homes. Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to such environmental stressors can have adverse effects on children's cognitive development and mental health. In conclusion, while data centers are important for our digital infrastructure, we must carefully consider their impact on the health and well-being of our younger generation.

[02:42:32] Our priority should be to create a safe, nurturing environment that supports the physical, mental, and emotional development of our children. I urge us to all think critically about these issues and advocate for responsible development that prioritizes the needs and health of our community's youngest members.

[02:42:48] Thank you for your attention and dedication to the future of our neighborhood. Thank you. Thank you, young lady. Vandana Keshava, followed by Keshava, and I'm going to spell your last name, G-O-P-A-L-A-K-R-I-S-H-N-A.

[02:43:07] Good evening. Hello. My name is Vandana, and I've grown up in the Birefield Estates community. I've gone through the LCP schooling system, and I'm now a working professional. Like most of my neighbors probably know, one of the easiest ways to run into me is on a run.

[02:43:26] I love taking in the fresh air and listening to birds and looking at all the greenery that surrounds our neighborhood. Well, not anymore. The construction of these data centers has been so harmful to our community's experiences outdoors. Our walks and runs used to be peaceful, but now they're replaced by the sight of massive dull data centers, the never-ending hum of cycling generators, and obnoxious construction traffic. Also, the existing already constructed data centers have already had some pretty bad impacts on our lives since they occupy a massive amount of land

[02:44:02] this has had massive impacts on biodiversity near our community and this is only going to get worse as more data centers are added for example trees are being wiped out and this means that countless animals and plants are being displaced they're losing their homes now my runs are focused on not crushing a venomous snake or running into a fox and in the middle of the day deer are running scared through our community streets. And of course, all too often, these animals find themselves face-to-face running into our cars and die on the side of our roads. When I was a little girl and I

[02:44:38] was going through the LCPS schooling system, the curriculum taught me about the importance of conserving nature. But it's funny how in real life, our county is promoting the exact opposite by tearing down these ecosystems and putting cement walls up instead. If the Board of Supervisors continues to make the choice to support machines, cables, servers, computers, and concrete instead of living beings, whether it's humans or animals, it would be pretty clear to everyone that our county's priorities aren't aligned to the best interests of the life that it's your job to

[02:45:12] protect. Also, as a computer science graduate, trust me, I know that the demand for digitalization means we need a lot of modern infrastructure rapidly. I know we need data centers, but their benefits are only reaped when they're built in the right place, not next to homes and families.

[02:45:29] There's no need to be destroying wildlife habitats and degrading the integrity of residential areas like our communities when there's plenty of other land available and more appropriate for development of data centers. So me and my community are trusting you to make the right and obvious decision to oppose the building of these data centers. Thank you for listening and thank you for your time. Thank you. Next speaker, please. And you'll be followed by Jahansi. C-I-L-A-K-A-P-A-T-I.

[02:46:04] Good. No, you're next. You're next, sir. Yes. Good evening. Good evening, Loudoun County panel. I'm Keshava from Briarfield Estates. I've been a resident of Loudoun County for the past 20 years. I moved here because of its hospitality and pristine nature. 20 years back, data centers were unheard of, but today they are the talk of the term. And again, 20 years from now, we'll be talking about something totally new, which we can't even comprehend right now in terms of its scope and magnitude. One day data centers might even go extinct and may have to be torn down

[02:46:39] completely once we have gathered more facts and figures from case studies about their harmful effects on life and surroundings. Kindly note that the county primarily exists because of its residents and not because of data centers. So it's the county's primary objective to protect and safeguard its citizens. It's my sincere request to the panel not to succumb to any pressure converting existing residential zones to commercial data centers now or in the near future because the motives behind such applicant requests are very short-sighted. These requests

[02:47:16] suit personal agendas at the cost of residents and are definitely not in line with the vision and mission of Loudoun County. If the county sets such precedence, more requests to rezone residential properties will follow the same path going forward. Rather than converting and rezoning if the same parcel of land is made available as is, builders and home buyers would bid at a premium and be more happier with a roof over the red, such is the demand here in the county. So instead of squeezing data centers inside residential boundaries, The county can build a dedicated data center park with all the necessary infrastructure

[02:47:55] to ensure minimum to zero impact towards the existing habitat, environment, and residents. Rather than breathe fresh air and live our life, we have been left to lead very stressful lives, not knowing what is in store for us, thanks to the data centers trying to displace appless residents like us.

[02:48:16] Previously, when the Fusion Park next to our neighborhood was trying to intrude into our lives, the county adhered to our request and block it from happening. This time, again, I would expect the same. To conclude, I hereby strongly oppose the rezoning of Edenwood assemblage from residential to industrial data center.

[02:48:35] Thank you. - Thank you, sir. Next speaker, and you will be followed by Akhil. And again, I'm spelling your names because I do not want to not pronounce your name right. I don't believe that's very respectful, so I would prefer to spell them.

[02:48:50] And if you come up and tell me how to pronounce your name, I'd appreciate that, and I apologize, but the last name is D-E-V-A-R-A-K-O-N-D-A, and you'll be followed by Emma Paul. Good evening. Good evening to the Board of Supervisors and everyone present in this room today.

[02:49:07] I'm John C. Chilko-Party, a resident of Briarfield Estates. I've lived in this community since I was about four, and my younger sister has grown up here her whole life. This place is more than just where we live to me. It's where I've created countless memories and experienced so many adventures. It's a home that I've learned to love dearly.

[02:49:24] One of the key topics I wanted to address is the impact on the younger generation. This community is one of the few places I've felt at home. Watching my sister and her friends enjoy the same experiences I had growing up here is so special to me, since watching her is like watching a mini-me. However, the increasing presence of data centers around us has caused significant disturbances.

[02:49:44] These centers make it hard for my sister, my friends, and I to hang outside or enjoy our backyard. The noise and environmental impact are affecting our daily lives, making it difficult to relax and enjoy outdoor activities, which are a big part of our lives. This summer, I woke up several mornings in a row to the sound of construction.

[02:50:02] It has been a huge inconvenience for me, especially since my room is located right in front of the construction site. This noise has negatively impacted my sleep routine and how I function in my daily life. Additionally, through the summer, I've tried to engage in more outdoor activities or find time to spend with my dad playing badminton or our version of cricket tennis, spending at least 20 minutes a day together in the backyard.

[02:50:24] This has been a huge part of all of my summers while living here. Connecting with my dad in this way always reminds me that even if we aren't the perfect father-daughter duo, he still makes time during the summer or after school to hang out with my sister and I to create a lifetime of memories that are worth living for. Due to the construction and the air pollution, this cherished part of my life, which I once believed to be the best part of my evenings, has changed drastically.

[02:50:46] Poor air quality has made it difficult to enjoy the outdoor space that my parents have worked so hard to create, which is not only personal to my family, but me. One quality that I've continued to notice is that our community, not only in Loudoun County, but I believe that this is the only community in the entire world that is surrounded by data centers in a complete 360.

[02:51:06] I understand that Loudoun County is trying to create a more technological environment for future generations, But need I remind you, the best parts of growing up is in the environment we have now. The late-night bike rides, the water balloon fights in the summer, the dinnertime cookouts leading to dance battles between my friends.

[02:51:22] This is the foundation of growing up, letting kids be kids and explore the world among them. If you do decide to approve this, you are ruining what it's like to be a kid for not only the current generation, but the future generation. So therefore, I strongly oppose this application. Thank you for your time.

[02:51:37] Thank you. Thank you very much. Next speaker, and the next two speakers, and then Emma Paul, at probably close to 9 o'clock, we're going to take a break because we came on the day I said 6, and we have about 80 speakers, and then actually the item.

[02:52:01] And so we need to just take a break for a little while, okay? Hello, sir. You ready when you are, young man. Good evening, Supervisors. My name is Akil Debreconda, and I have been residing in Briarfield Estates since 2015. The proposal to construct a data center near our neighborhood is not merely an issue of local infrastructure, but a profound threat to the welfare of our younger generations.

[02:52:25] As a community, we must strongly oppose this project to protect the health, development, and future of the children of this community. Firstly, the incessant noise pollution generated by the construction and the operation of a data center cannot be understated. The constant hum of generators, the rumbling of heavy machinery, and the unending stream of vehicles will disrupt the tranquility of our neighborhood.

[02:52:47] For the children, this means a significant interference with their sleep patterns. Atticate sleep is not a luxury for children. It is a necessity. It is during sleep that their bodies grow, their brain develops, and their memories consolidate. Sleep disruption can lead to a cascade of negative consequences, including diminished cognitive function, reduced attention span, and increased irritability.

[02:53:07] The negative impact on their school performance will be inevitable. tower children cannot concentrate, absorb information, or engage in meaningful learning activities. Their academic progress will suffer, potentially stunting their intellectual growth and future opportunities. Furthermore, the construction and operation of a data center introduce various environmental hazards. The admission of pollutants from construction vehicles and backup generators will degrade air quality. The children with their developed respiratory systems are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of air pollution. Increased rates of asthma, allergies, and other respiratory conditions will plague our young ones, compromising their health and overall

[02:53:44] well-being. The presence of a data sensor also brings about a heavy psychological toll on our children. The constant noise and pollution create an environment of stress and anxiety. Instead of growing up in a serene and nurturing neighborhood, they are subjected to an industrialized, noisy, and unhealthy environment. This can lead to chronic stress, affecting their mental health and emotional stability. Childhood should be a time of joy, exploration, and carefree play, not overshadowed by the looming presence of an industrial complex. As a kid who grew up here, himself. I believe that the issues that are raised due to the construction of this data center are not to be disregarded. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Thank you, young man. Emma Paul, you will be

[02:54:22] followed by Shreen Vasa Abula, followed by Rashida Val Yuru. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you for letting me speak today. My name is Emma Paul, a rising fourth grader, and even though I'm a kid, I have something important to say about the big data center they want to build next door.

[02:54:53] I love my home and our community. I love playing outside with my friends, running around in my community, and biking. A few years ago, I often used to bike towards the end of Cameron Parish Drive. Sadly, I don't do it anymore because there is a big data center construction going on.

[02:55:11] And I don't feel safe. It is loud at times, and it is such a building, very close to our community. I feel like I'm in prison, surrounded by huge walls. I am angry and sad that we already lost the charm and peacefulness on one side of our community.

[02:55:28] As a kid, I don't know whom we should blame for this disaster land use planning. I heard from my dad, if this rezoning application is approved, there will be more data centers coming to the other side of our community, and we will be engulfed in data centers very soon from all sides.

[02:55:48] Why are we letting this happen? It feels like nobody asks us if we're okay with this. It feels like nobody cares about what will happen to our home, our friends, and our community. It's not fair that grown-ups can make such big decisions without thinking about how it makes us kids feel.

[02:56:07] Please, I'm requesting you to think about how the approval of this rezoning application will change everything. I'm requesting you to protect our community, our environment, and happiness by rejecting this rezoning application.

[02:56:25] Please don't let this big, noisy thing ruin the place we live. Thank you for listening. Thank you, and good job. These young people are incredible, incredible speakers. Yes, sir, you are next, and then you'll be followed by Rashida Valura.

[02:56:46] Good evening. No, you are next. No, sir, you are next. Yeah. Okay. Thanks for giving me the opportunity. This is Rina Masahola, living in the beginning of the Cameron Barris Drive. So I'm here to strongly oppose the re-zoning application from the residential industrial zone.

[02:57:06] I can give a lot of reasons. It will impact us in the air pollution and then radiation and then a lot of other impacts are there. In addition to that, my friends are already told a lot of reasons to research this application. And also I add that recently the Hidden Wood application is mainly used for the construction of the data center in the near future.

[02:57:31] With the current construction itself, the blasting is going on time. I live far away from the existing application. Even then, during the night time or whenever they do the blasting, I hear a lot of sound. And assuming that in the future, if the application is approved and in the future the construction is going on, imagine that it will cause a lot of noise and then pollution.

[02:57:59] And then whoever is current to the construction, actually, they are feeling a lot of noise during the blasting. And even when I'm hearing a lot of noise far away from the camera in Paris, imagine that whoever is next to the construction, they feel a lot of noise, right?

[02:58:17] So it will totally causing us a lot of destruction and safety. And then it is our change, our way of living. So a lot of things, reasons are there. So I'm strongly opposing this current pre-zoning application.

[02:58:35] Thanks for giving this opportunity. Thank you, sir. Young lady, can you come up and tell me your name? I want to make sure I didn't miss anybody. What is your name, ma'am? Rashida Valuru. Okay, I did not miss anybody.

[02:58:51] You will be followed by Madi Patti Srivalli and then Narishima Budi. Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair and Supervisors. My name is Rashida Baluru, and I live at 24054 Ashby O'Court for the last 10 years.

[02:59:11] I'm one of the two households closest to the proposed data center construction site, and I'm here to voice a grave concern that endangers our health and community. Construction activities, including excavation, drilling, and concrete pouring, release dust and harmful pollutants, drastically degrading air quality.

[02:59:29] The data center construction could last three to four years. Both my mother and I suffer from asthma and allergies, and the increased pollution would severely worsen our conditions, making it difficult for us to breathe and live comfortably. My mother, with her already low lung capacity, is already feeling sick, and the data center so close to us would make her particularly vulnerable, leading to more frequent asthma attacks, allergy reaction, and medical visits.

[02:59:56] furthermore data centers require redundant power systems like diesel generators which emit significant air pollution amanda these generators are frequently tested and run during inclement weather to ensure stop stop just one second i am so sorry to interrupt your flow put it that we can't do that that's just not fair can you put it down to at least probably there's been a minute already this this ticked off so it's just not fair to everybody else thank you i'm sorry okay everybody yeah that's okay um these generators are frequently tested and run during inclement weather

[03:00:33] to ensure uninterrupted power many of our neighbors especially children the elderly and those with respiratory issues are also at risk research has linked prolonged exposure to pollutants with increased rates of asthma bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses as well as cardiovascular diseases and even premature death the dust and poor air quality will confine us indoors more often, making outdoor activities dangerous. Additionally, the construction will severely limit neighborhood activities at our cul-de-sac. Our community gatherings, children's playtime, and outdoor events will be disrupted, diminishing the quality of life and the sense of

[03:01:12] community we cherish. Data centers also produce noise pollution. The sound is more than a mere annoyance. It is a constant unwelcome presence in our lives, causing stress, anxiety, hypertension, insomnia, and even heart disease. The CDC warns that noise not loud enough to cause hearing damage can still have these detrimental effects while continuously exposed.

[03:01:34] For the sake of our health and the well-being of our community, I strongly oppose the Hidden Wood Assemblage application. Clean air is our fundamental right. Thank you. Thank you. Madi Padi Srivali, followed by Narishima Budi, and then we will take one more after you.

[03:01:55] Venkata, that's P-A-T-H-E-A-K-O-T-A, and that would be our last speaker until we come back from break. Good evening, Mel. Good evening, Supervisors. I work in IT, and I understand that data centers are crucial for our technological infrastructure.

[03:02:12] But today, I'm questioning the proximity to the residential neighborhoods, which poses significant concerns. Ten years ago, I purchased my house in Briarfield Estates. We moved from Fairfax County and I lived close to the Arlington Boulevard where we have to deal with a lot of noise pollution either from heavy traffic or other miscellaneous sources. I was mortgage-free in that house I lived and I knew buying another house at that stage in my life is signing up for another 15 years of hard work. However, considering my sleep quality which was very poor because of the noise pollution and also the insomnia which I suffer, I took a decision to

[03:02:51] buy my current home out in Ashburn and in Briarfield Estates. Stepping into the Briarfield community, the only sounds I heard were gentle rustling of the leaves or the birds singing or perhaps the distant laughter of the children playing. That is the essence of the quiet and peaceful neighborhood to me. Because of the absence of this noise pollution, my sleep quality improved and I don't suffer from insomnia anymore. For the past one year, while Yonder Data Center is being built, with all the construction activity going on, I have to deal with, again, the stress,

[03:03:25] sleep disturbances, again, which came back to me. The tremors, I think we all have, you all have to believe us, there were tremors, and they were very severe. And they were caused by the construction process, literally, that shook our homes every day, and caused a panic attack to me. And I was in constant fear that my house might collapse when I was sleeping at night. Of course, that's personal, but that's the kind of feeling it gave it to me.

[03:03:49] Sleepless nights are back, and I started noticing that I might have other health issues. When I have to go through so much with one data center, which was built in close vicinity, I can't even imagine what would be my health situation when another data center proposal, which we are discussing, gets approved and construction starts.

[03:04:09] I request this board to think about all of us who stepped into our community expecting a peaceful life. No matter whether we all agree to this or not, data centers are also, they do negatively impact our property values. The presence of an industrial facility in a residential area can make homes less attractive to potential buyers, leading to a decreased property value.

[03:04:31] So I oppose all the data center proposals which are being discussed currently for approval, which are in close proximity, or any of the future rejoining applications which are in close proximity. - Ma'am, thank you so much. - Thank you. - Thank you. Next speaker, please. Good evening, Madam Jayad, and the rest of the Board of Supervisors.

[03:04:56] I am here to speak opposing the application of the hidden word, but my sympathies are there for all those sufferings that they went through. But it is not necessary that, you know, those things to be cascaded and then it has to be transferred to somebody else.

[03:05:17] But, you know, it is the important thing is to find a solution how we are going to deal with this kind of situations rather than actually creating more and more problems for everybody else. So I just want to ask everybody here, we are all the Virginians, right?

[03:05:35] So what is the slogan of the Virginia? Welcome to Virginia. Virginia is for lovers. So what do we have here now? Data centers? That is what the place that, you know, Virginia is known for now, at the Loudoun County, when I moved to this area, like from Fairfax to here, it was all greenery, green lands, horses behind our community, right? So we have seen all that, and then we used to go for walking, and as an elderly person that you know, I used to enjoy all these facilities and

[03:06:13] other things, but as everybody is saying, last three years, the life is so disastrous here, right? So, half of the community, it is there on the Briarfield Lane. We can't even go closer to the, at least, you know, half, I mean, at least 300, 400 feet to our end of the community because it is full of dust, it is full of noise.

[03:06:34] And then, you know, there is no life on the other side for us because that is what I used to enjoy for the last eight years. That is all gone, right? So, what we are creating here, we are creating gas chambers. We are closing all these sites and then, you know, you are creating gas chamber there, which we have seen in the Second World War.

[03:06:51] people creating gas chambers to kill the people. So we don't know after 10 years, 9 years, what these chambers are going to do. And at the same time, the death valley. It is all going to go up in the temperatures. Already we are seeing the temperatures 110 degrees outside the natural. So now it is data centers and other things. It is going to go to 120 degrees and it's going to be death valley in the future.

[03:07:15] So I know you said that you are going to think about the future. Please think about the future. Okay. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity thank you sir and our last speaker until um after a break good evening sir good evening by the way madam chair you are doing great with the names this uh you are doing your best that's all matter you totally understand yeah thank you good evening respected board and everybody in the room yeah my name is venkat a proud resident of brightfield estates community i have been living in this community for a little over 11 years we very well understand data centers

[03:07:55] offer undeniable benefits. Definitely, they create jobs, boost the local economy, and form the backbone of the digital services. We all rely on a daily basis. I am totally not against the data center. But what I am against is living in close proximity to the data center as it comes with a number of drawbacks that impact our quality of life.

[03:08:22] You know, the many public holidays, right, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, July 4th, are meant to have a good time with family and friends. Don't you agree? But you know what we are doing as a community?

[03:08:38] Spending time discussing and worrying about this data center issue that is happening around us. 360 degrees. Nowadays, on a daily basis, we are worrying about many things that comes along with the package. Noise, the constant worrying of fans that can disturb our sleep.

[03:08:57] These are the worries that are going to come. And the air quality comes along with this. You know, we all know, I don't need to repeat this, large data centers require significant cooling, and depending on the cooling system, there might be concerns about exhaust containing pollutants and heat.

[03:09:19] The traffic that comes along with that. The property values, we worry that that might decrease our property values. We have been, you know, that's our biggest savings, that we are paying mortgage and property taxes and everything.

[03:09:35] For what? Down the lane? Are we to get down our property prices for that reason that we are doing it? No, right? And there are many unknowns that, you know, being next to the residential community, what side effects are going to be affected?

[03:09:53] So this affects our physical, mental, social, and environmental well-being. I sincerely request the board and all decision makers to reconsider the application and reject the proposal. I strongly oppose the current application. Thank you. Thank you so much.

[03:10:11] Thank you very much, sir. Thank you very much. So we're going to take a 15-minute break and we're going to leave it to 15 minutes and we will be back and continue public comments. Yes, Jackie,

[03:10:22] I see you checking your watch. Okay, we're going to start again, please. If you're out in the lobby

[03:30:52] Ian, you hear me? Come on. Come on back in. We're going to start with Jay Sudas Shekuri, followed by Karthink. It's P-A-T-H-E-A-K-O-T-A, followed by Leah Bell. Yes, sir. Good evening.

[03:31:17] Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. Thank you all for giving this opportunity. At the very beginning, you asked one very interesting question, ma'am. Why are we here? So if you know why we are here, or probably it's an intriguing question, that probably, if you go back, why we are here, we can understand.

[03:31:44] My only point is, let's make sure we do not get the same question after the whole process is done. And then there was another question, what's the tax price for this whole transaction? So, sorry, there was no reply, but if you understand, that tells a lot.

[03:32:00] Recently, when there was a nearby data center construction was going on, we lived through the blasting impact, what we experienced for months together. In fact, I raised a request to fire marshals, and we had a lot of calls going back and forth.

[03:32:22] In fact, we, among our community, also shared the time of those blasting impacts. Have you all noticed why this is happening? Is there any earthquake? So that's much severe was those blasting impacts.

[03:32:37] Now that those impacts will be taken through, will be taken care, I don't know how much that can be believed. Because we had similar experience when this blasting impact happened last time.

[03:32:53] No one had taken any accountability for that one. So I think it's going to be similar to that one. Also, by inviting the data centers into the residential areas, we are basically bringing in massive generators, you know, and the pollution, it comes with that one.

[03:33:17] We know the generators are allowed several hours in a year, sometimes even 200 hours, whether it is in the form of testing or whatever it is. My question is whether county has any analysis done on the impact of these data centers in the residential areas, whether in terms of health or long-term, short-term impacts.

[03:33:39] I think county, you guys can be better prepared if you have some analysis done, collected somewhere, so you can take a very good wise decision for all of us. Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. Your time's up.

[03:33:56] Thank you. Thank you. feel like we're having a conversation. I missed that. I apologize. Our next speaker, young man, you'll be followed by Leah Bell, followed by Karis Roberts. Good evening. Good evening. Hello. My name is Karthik Patakota, and I'm a proud resident in Briarfield Estates.

[03:34:18] I'm a rising ninth grader going to Rockridge High School. I'd like to apologize for all the negative comments we've said, but we all think that the data centers are good, but too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Today I'll be talking about the negative impact of data centers on our neighborhood.

[03:34:36] Imagine living in a cozy, tightly knit neighborhood of 72 houses, where the quiet hum of everyday life intertwines with the laughter of children playing in the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze. This tranquil scene is the essence of our community. However, this idyllic setting is now under the threat from a proposal that could disrupt our way of life, the installation of data centers near our neighborhood.

[03:35:02] Data centers, while essential for storing and processing a vast amount of digital information, bring with them a host of negative impacts that would profoundly affect us all. Firstly, these facilities are notorious for their significant energy consumption. Moreover, the construction and ongoing operation of data centers could introduce increased noise pollution into our once quiet community.

[03:35:24] Imagine trying to relax in your backyard or sleep peacefully at night with the constant background noise of industrial equipment disrupting the tranquility that drew us to this neighborhood in the first place. Furthermore, the potential environmental impact cannot be overlooked. Data centers generate heat and require substantial cooling systems to maintain optimal operating conditions.

[03:35:47] This can lead to additional air pollution and contribute to urban heat island effects, further altering our local climate and air quality. Beyond these environmental and infrastructural concerns, there are also social and economic implications to consider.

[03:36:06] Property values to neighborhoods near industrial installations like data centers often decline due to perceived noise and environmental pollution, potentially impacting the financial well-being of homeowners who have invested their savings into their homes here. In conclusion, while data centers serve crucial roles in our increasingly digital world, their placement near a small neighborhood would undoubtedly have detrimental effects on our quality of life.

[03:36:32] From increased energy consumption and noise pollution to potential environmental and economic impacts, the negatives far outweigh any perceived benefits. Therefore, I urge the public officials to reconsider their decision and explore alternative locations.

[03:36:49] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you, young man. um leah bell followed by grace roberts followed by lisa schaefer hi good evening i apologize if i get emotional but this is um an emotional subject and uh i think everyone knows what's going on here so i don't want to repeat what you guys have already heard so i'm going to scratch my speech and just say the main things that i think i wanted to say um but i was driving down the road and i got cussed out by a construction worker and it's like when you deal with this every day it's that was the last straw so for some of you that may not mean anything to you being cussed

[03:37:29] at but it means something to me when I'm at my last mental capacity for this okay like it's been years and it is tiring and honestly like we got in touch with the foreman and I'm happy that my father was able to talk to him but I say that to say that the tensions are high for everybody they're high for us and they're high for the workers nobody wants to be doing this and the last thing I'm going to say is I have a lot of respect for all the kids that spoke out tonight but we are going through this I have been going through this kids on our street have been going through this

[03:38:06] people are losing memories holidays like it we're going through this and I say that because there is a solution here I think for both sides so that's all I wanted to say and I appreciate you for your time, and I ask that you support our assemblage. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I think I just said Grace Roberts. It's actually Karis, which is, I think I did that in my head. You'll be followed by Alicia Schaefer and Mira Poisel. Good evening. Good evening, Chair Randall and supervisors. I'm Karis Roberts, advocating for the Hiddenwood Residence, and tonight I'll ask that

[03:38:45] you please approve their application. The cliche that two wrongs don't make a right oversimplifies a very complex situation. This application is a last resort to mitigate the multiple offenses afflicted on Hiddenwood residents. The differences between Hiddenwood and Briarfield are disproportionately framed as an apple to apple ratio when they are actually an apple to multiple oranges scenario.

[03:39:10] The claim here is that there is equal harm to the adjacent community and it is incorrectly perceived misleading and out of context. The imbalance is evident and the impact comparisons are galaxies apart. Consider the numerous injustices done to the Hiddenwood community. First, the county mismatched zoning for decades in the airport flight path. Second, a newer community, Briarfield Estates, was developed by right with residential uses in an area planned for commercial and industrial uses. Third, the planning designation that protected the airport was changed even though the noise impacts will only continue to increase. Fourth, multiple approved

[03:39:49] projects place Hiddenwood in a long-term construction zone with permanent impacts. Fifth, a data center was approved much too close to Hiddenwood without the protections given to other communities. And sixth, the county routed a new highway through Hiddenwood instead of around it. Hiddenwood homeowners homeowners have been active participants in the land use process for the last 20 years but their pleas for protection have been ignored they commit to multiple protections for their neighbors that far out see the status quo and what is adjacent to their own homes this application

[03:40:26] is a measured and considerate solution that rectifies exponential wrongs inflicted over decades it is reasonable and just for the county to act on hidden one's behalf to remedy the situation and allow them to move on with their lives in a different location. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Lisa Safer, followed by Mira Hoysel, followed by Hemath Hoysel. Good evening.

[03:40:52] Yes, good evening. My name is Mira Hoysel, and I live two homes away from where the Yonder Data Center was built over the past two years. And while I want to talk about Hidden Wood and their proposal, I want to just quickly reinforce that what we have gone through, even though we as a second home are about 400 feet away from where the data center starts with the gate, okay, but the tremors that we had were not only felt by us tremendously, but also a quarter of a mile away from the data center.

[03:41:29] So that tells you how much of a tremor it must have been for us and the people who live even closer to the construction site. In addition to that, I would like to say that for Hidden Wood and their application, as much as we empathize for their situation, we are not opposed to them selling their land or their homes.

[03:41:51] We are opposed to another data center being built where we are going to be surrounded by by right land use for additional data centers already. We are going to be surrounded north, south, east, and west. And the proximity to our residents, especially now coming to the new application of 180 feet, is nothing if you can imagine that we could feel the tremors even a quarter of a mile away from the construction site.

[03:42:24] So we do not know whether there is underground damage. And as we know by the Yonder Center, we have no idea whether there is any damage. We have no research showing any of that. And if we want to hold them liable for whatever damage there may be, they will say, well, why didn't you come to us earlier?

[03:42:43] We don't know anything about this. We had theft in the middle of the night. We had cables being stolen. And those cables were tried to bring across into our community, even though there was a barrier.

[03:42:59] So theft, safety has been a big concern. The traffic doesn't happen only during the days. It happens even now after two years, consistently even at 11 p.m. at night. So I'm trying to envision that with the application that we currently have for the Hidden Boot community about putting another data center in there.

[03:43:20] So first of all, the distance is way too close to our community. Ma'am, your time is up. Should be. Ma'am, your time is up. Okay, thank you very much. Are you Ms. Schaefer? I'm sorry that you were next. And then you will be followed by Haymouth Hoistow, followed by Theresa Early. Good evening.

[03:43:40] Good evening, Chair Randall, Board of Supervisors. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. I'm here to support the Hiddenwood application to rezone. Hiddenwood residents are not just applicants. They are real people that are being negatively impacted daily due to the rezoning decisions that have overlooked their community.

[03:44:00] They have spent countless hours over many years trying to protect themselves from the hazards they face that have been a result from the land use changes surrounding them. The residents have done what they could, including engaging with PEC in 2021.

[03:44:18] At that time, PEC was sympathetic, but nothing of substance was available to protect Hiddenwood. PEC and others have expressed sympathy, but cannot change any past decisions. The sympathy will not protect Hiddenwood residents from an escalation in the hazards that they have been experiencing for three years now.

[03:44:38] Sympathy will not prevent the ongoing degradation of their properties and their ability to enjoy their homes that they have worked so hard for. The hazardous impacts they face are very different from the surrounding Loudoun neighborhoods.

[03:44:54] However, they do understand and they also sympathize with the neighboring community's concerns and the broader data center concerns. Hiddenwood has done everything possible in this application to provide a balanced, sensible solution. They have addressed the challenges and the concerns that were raised by the neighboring community and the county.

[03:45:14] These unique, specific facts that brought Hiddenwood to assemble are very important. I respectfully ask that you approve the solution that this application offers. Thank you for your consideration tonight. Thank you, Ms. Schaefer. Haymouth Hoysel, followed by Teresa Early, followed by Crystal Calhoun.

[03:45:33] Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair and Board of Supervisors. My name is Hemant. I'm living in Bayerfield Estates for the last 11 years. My family and I oppose the rezoning. We have tried several times to get hold of all of you so that we could explain better where we are with our situation with the yonder being built next to us.

[03:45:57] But unfortunately, we were never granted an appointment. While we may not belong to your district, your vote really does matter to us. in this case. This two and a half minutes that we are granted to express our issues is simply not acceptable. I mean, this is, we just can't express everything, all the issues that we've gone through for a couple of years now. The decision that you're going to take will impact the safety and security of everyone living in our community. And I hope you are paying attention to everybody's concerns here. I mean, you know, hundreds of years ago, there was, people were

[03:46:36] unaware of the dangers of lead poisoning. I mean, it was found in the pipes and everywhere else. The same thing goes with asbestos. Same thing goes with lung cancer because of smoking. Until studies were conducted, nobody knew the risks about all of these things.

[03:46:54] I mean, why am I bringing this up? It's because you all are going to put us in a similar situation if you uproot this. You've heard what happened to Hiddenwood. You don't want to give them a solution. You want to give them a solution. Yes, I agree with that. I'm sympathetic about that. But you don't want to give them a solution in a way that is going to hurt us.

[03:47:15] I mean, this is all, a lot of people died because of ignorance, because of, I just want to emphasize that until comprehensive studies were completed, many people died and suffered, and we don't want to be guinea pigs for something like this. I mean, we're going to be surrounded by a lot of data centers, and every data center has hundreds and thousands of computers emitting radiation, along with the diesel generators creating smoke and heat.

[03:47:39] We're going to be cooked in between. Perhaps we're the only community in the world that's going to be surrounded by tens and thousands of computers. That's a big risk. And I couldn't sit in my backyard when the construction was going on.

[03:47:55] The sound was deafening. I'm very sorry. You have to be there to experience it. My request to you all, please vote no and use your consciences. Please, I appreciate that. Thank you, sir. Teresa Early, followed by Crystal Calhoun, followed by Caleb Calhoun.

[03:48:13] Good evening. Good evening. I as well had something written. I'm Teresa Early. My son, Jonathan, and Tricia live on Hiddenwood Lane. Tricia spoke tonight.

[03:48:30] They have a two-and-a-half-year-old and a one-and-a-half-year-old, and I'm over there almost every day. And just driving through Racefield, which is almost a one-lane now, I can't even tell you the trauma.

[03:48:48] I mean, you get so angry sitting there waiting on all these trucks coming through, And I'm like, you know, none of us here in either one of these neighborhoods want these data centers here. We should be fighting together instead of against each other.

[03:49:03] We should love one another. What happened to this? What is going on? Like you said, how did we get here? Money? I don't know. And all the health. I was a nurse over 30 years. To listen to these children, my grandchildren are right there, too.

[03:49:24] I moved here three years ago. Now, the first time I drove into Hiddenwood Lane, Hiddenwood, just think of that, Hiddenwood Lane. It was incredible. When I drove in there, I just was like, wait a minute, I'm in Virginia.

[03:49:41] There is no sanctuary like this anywhere, nowhere. And I drove in, and it was so peaceful. And it was like really, truly a haven that I thought there's no way that could happen here.

[03:49:58] And now look at it. It's like a disaster area. you can't call it Hiddenwood Lane anymore. You call it Disaster Lane. I don't know, but I had this written, and I don't want to reiterate all this health issues and this dust, and it doesn't need to be repeated. I respect you. I just want to say this rezoning is the only feasible relief for these families on Hiddenwood, while preserving significant natural and enhanced buffers for

[03:50:32] neighboring residents. If you have a compassionate heart, please free them from this environmental abuse. They need your support for this application so they can move on with their lives. I just want to ask to support them. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. Teresa Earl, I'm sorry. Crystal Calhoun followed by Caleb Calhoun followed by April Cave. Good evening. Are you Miss Early? I mean, Are you Ms. Calhoun?

[03:51:12] Nice to meet you. Ready when you are. Honorable Supervisors, I'm Crystal Calhoun, the daughter and granddaughter of applicants. I will be in eighth grade next year. My favorite subject is American history. When I was a baby, my family moved from Fairfax to Loudoun on Hiddenwood Lane because my parents wanted to place the country feel to it to relax from their busy schedules.

[03:51:36] Soon after, my grandparents moved to Hiddenwood to be nearby. My parents spent many stressful years working with neighbors to oppose a JK2 application to build a data center directly outside our front door.

[03:51:53] This process revealed the harsh reality of our exposure to many multiple approved industrial projects for the next 10 years. My community requested to meet with our district commissioner, district supervisors, and other county officials to discuss our circumstances, but no one met with them.

[03:52:20] After the approval of JK2, the Hidden Wood Assemblage was formed. Since then, we have endured hardships much worse than predicted, and the worst is yet to come. Instead of looking forward to going home, we risk ourselves to maneuver through construction hazards.

[03:52:36] My mom was almost hit head-on by a big rig and a dirt hauler almost heave on my grandparents and would have been crushed if they had not swerved. The school bus driver says this route is a nightmare and unsafe for students.

[03:52:56] Our access is routinely blocked, and emergency vehicles may be unable to reach us in time. The truth is that part of my front yard is owned and industrial. Reflecting on the Bill of Rights, I realize that our rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness are significantly declined.

[03:53:16] Please approve this application so my family can move on and have peace. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Calhoun. Caleb Calhoun, followed by April Cave and Andrew McGinley. Good evening. Good evening, Commissioners.

[03:53:31] I am Caleb Calhoun, the son and grandson of Hidden Wood residents. My brother, dad, and I used to ride our bikes together. That stopped when data centers and roadway construction began. With Dulles West Boulevard's opening, the situation will worsen, as large trucks from multiple construction sites will hinder our access.

[03:53:51] I have often biked through Briarfield Estates, Willisford, and the Meadows. These homes are well insulated, and the streets are quiet. The entrances are far away from the heavy construction that we contend with. Both Willisford and Briarfield have thick trees bordering their homes and are well protected by design.

[03:54:11] Our community is not protected. Until last year, the entrance to Hiddenwood Lane was heavily wooded, and the trees that line our gravel road have given our small community its character for decades. But now our entrance has been taken and destroyed for Dulles West Boulevard.

[03:54:29] Colorful ribbons line our lane, reminding us that the woods will soon be gone and replaced with a gigantic building that will overshadow our homes. My dad told me that Hidden Wood Lane itself is included in the buffer dimensions for the data center in front of our homes, leaving possibly only 30 feet of land between our lane and the parking lot.

[03:54:49] The Loudoun County website defines a buffer as a device or natural growth that serves as a barrier for vision, light, or noise between adjoining properties. Our lane does not provide that. The road buffer, few remaining trees, a short five-foot berm, and a six-foot fence would provide inadequate screening.

[03:55:09] It would look as if our houses are in the parking lot. Thank you for your time, and I ask you to approve this application so that my family and I can enjoy life together again. Thank you. Thank you, young man.

[03:55:26] April Cave, followed by Andrew McGinley, followed by Ajus Karmath. Good evening. Would you like a handheld? Can you hear me? Yep, can you hear me? Okay, then I'm good.

[03:55:43] Okay, good evening. I am April Cave, and my sister, her husband, and their two toddlers live on Hiddenwood Lane. In the years since they moved there, the surrounding area has changed significantly. What used to be peaceful, open fields are now filled with data centers under construction, news data centers, electrical substations, and a new four-lane road.

[03:56:04] I've heard the stories of what they've been going through and seen it firsthand from being unable to return home due to a blocked road and near misses with dump trucks and excavation equipment. I've also seen the exhaustion they've felt if they've endured county decisions that have disproportionately burdened them to benefit other landowners and communities.

[03:56:25] What they have experienced over the last several years and what they will face over the next 10 is beyond incomparable to anything experienced by other neighborhoods. Their homes weren't built neatly between the airport noise contours. They aren't complaining about nearby industrial facilities that existed before their homes did. There is no way for them to divert data center construction traffic away from their access road which will only serve hidden wood and data centers until the full roadway roadway is completed later this decade data centers are approved out their

[03:57:03] front windows not their side yards behind large stands of mature and dense trees the differences are many and in magnitude and spending just 30 minutes in the neighborhoods involved here makes them crystal clear please approve the hidden wood assemblage thank you thank you miss cave and drew mcginley followed by Adjus Kamath, followed by Anika Kamath.

[03:57:29] Good evening, sir. Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair and Supervisors. My name is Andrew McKinley. I've lived in Northern Virginia for 40 years. For 20 of those years, I've owned a home in Loudoun County. I've taught music privately and with LCPS for 23 years.

[03:57:47] I support the Hiddenwood Assemblage application. Please let me explain. I visit Hiddenwood weekly, teaching music therapy. Over the past three years, I have experienced commercial construction that has severely disrupted these residents' lives.

[03:58:04] It has created hazardous conditions. Heavy equipment has absolutely destroyed their road. Poor traffic direction leads to unsafe one-way industrial lanes. This has ruined Hiddenwood's residential character, and their small community is no longer habitable.

[03:58:24] A fellow Loudon special education educator, Ms. Jacqueline Pavelko, has four students at Hiddenwood to whom she teaches orientation, mobility, and white cane usage. She states, safety is paramount and the current environment around my students' homes is alarmingly dangerous.

[03:58:44] The mixed residential industrial designation of Hiddenwood is unacceptable and jeopardizes the safety of all children, but especially those with visual impairments. She says, every child deserves an accessible environment and access to school and work transportation.

[03:59:04] So as you can see, I'm not alone in my position as a Loudoun educator. We are deeply concerned for the well-being of these students and their families. The quality of life for the Hiddenwood residents is appalling. There is only one solution for Hiddenwood, to rezone what the county has given them.

[03:59:26] And this county has placed a data center right up to their driveways with respect that was wrong. But it's even worse to compound that mistake and consign these families to a miserable existence as a perpetual human buffer.

[03:59:47] I implore you, Madam Chair and Supervisors, please vote to approve the Hiddenwood Assemblage application. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, the next two speakers, the Hamas, and then you two will be followed by, just give me one second, sir.

[04:00:10] Oh, the entire family, the next person. Yeah. Okay, we're ready when you are. Madam Chair, Supervisors, thank you. Thank you for listening to us. Thank you. It's been a long night already. We appreciate your patience, listening patiently to each and every speaker tonight.

[04:00:30] I'm not going to repeat everything that's already been said. And we're completely sympathetic to the Hidden World residents. But I think it's clear as day that data center is not the answer.

[04:00:47] So we need to find a solution that works for both communities. And you, as a role of a supervisor, have the obligation, have the responsibility, and have the power to make a difference.

[04:01:05] And I urge you to just think outside the box, come up with a solution that is agreeable to both the communities. And we saw the map with all the yellow stars there.

[04:01:21] We don't need any more proof that we don't need another data center coming up. So I urge you to make the right call, and we need your support in this. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Next speaker, please. Good evening, young lady.

[04:01:42] Good evening, Madam Chair and members of the board. I appreciate your time in allowing me to speak tonight. My name is Anki Lakamath, and I have been a member of Briarfield Estates for about 10 years now. And as I'm finally heading off to college, I reminisce on some of my fondest memories that have taken place in Briarfield Estates, Whether that be playing basketball outside with my brother or trick-or-treating with my friends, this community has provided me a safe and sheltered environment.

[04:02:07] But the implementation of a data center and the years and years of construction that go along with it are not only inconsistent with the lifestyle of Briarfield, it will also completely eradicate the safety and the serenity that this community has provided me and so many others for so long. I strongly urge you to deny this application.

[04:02:24] Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, and ma'am, you will be followed by Ravi Vedam, followed by Sujay Phillips. Good evening, board. My name is Bhavna, and I am a Brightfield resident.

[04:02:41] I'm here to voice the similar concerns that my fellow neighbors have, and I'm not going to repeat everything. Everything is the same. But I do request you all that you have the power to do the right thing, and I really hope you make the right decision. Thank you. Thank you.

[04:02:57] Thank you, ma'am. Ravi Vedam, followed by Sujay Phillips, followed by George Cave. Good evening. Yeah, good evening, Madam Chair, and good evening, Supervisors. My name is Ravi Vedam. I'm a homeowner in Briarfield Community. I've been living in Cameron Parish Drive for the last five-plus years and a resident of Loudoun County and a taxpayer for 15-plus years, which is most of my adulthood time.

[04:03:23] I chose Loudoun County because it has great schools, infrastructure, greenery, tranquility, and decided to start and raise my family here. But now I'm here as a worried resident, especially when driving around London County, along with my family and my friends visiting outside, feels like driving around the white boxes. We are a tight-knit community here, 72 homes. You've seen many of my neighbors speaking. And over the last five years, I've gotten to know them personally. And our morning and evening walks over the last six to eight

[04:03:59] months have not been the same. I see many worried faces, many tensed faces, some hopeless faces, and some confused faces around the community. They don't know what to do next. My neighbors have mentioned all the right reasons. I'm not going to repeat, but a few things I wanted to raise up to you all is about the utility concerns, and especially the first couple of applications, both Mr. Andal and Burns, you've talked about it, of bringing a data center into the neighboring community is a big no-no, right? I go by with your words, and also some of the data that I've

[04:04:34] researched online is Dominion Power, who serve majority of the power needs here. On an average, a single data center powers close to 50,000 homes, 50,000 homes. That means thousands and thousands of Briarhood and Hiddenwood community, right? That's the magnitude we're talking about, and we are not ready. The utility companies are not ready. Think about the other problems that they're facing. Mr. Turner also mentioned about there's a problem already ongoing with the utility operators. I have an electric background. I have. There is a problem of unit commitment.

[04:05:11] The unpredictability in the renewable energy is also not helping the grids. So it is a serious problem. Same goes with the water, right? The cooling. I don't want to repeat some of the comments made earlier. Property values. Some of the kids have talked about it. They are well aware of what's going to go on the property values.

[04:05:29] The research consistently shows the closed data centers. So we have three generations living in my family, right, my elderly parents, myself, my kids, 10 years and 7 years. So the idea of community being resolved. Sir, I'm sorry, your time's actually up.

[04:05:44] Thank you. Thank you so much. Sujay Phillips followed by George K., followed by Rana Budijelli. Good evening. Good evening. Madam Chair, Board of Supervisors, good evening.

[04:06:02] Appreciate the time. My name is Sujay Phillips. My family and I, we are the first residents in the Briarfield community. 2011 is when we moved in, and the second resident moved in four or six months later.

[04:06:20] And so, just a little humor, I used to joke with my neighbors that I am the king of the community for four to six months. So, anyways, why did we move into a Briarfield community? Peaceful, safe, secure, away from busy traffic, and definitely away from being caged with businesses like data centers.

[04:06:45] Now, here is my deep concern in all of this, the data center building, the next generation, our children. Their health, their safety, their security is of utmost importance.

[04:07:02] The construction noise, air pollution, sound pollution, you name it, operational noise, we can go on and on, causes and subjects our children to health hazards. That's number one. Then comes safety and security.

[04:07:19] As we heard one of our neighbors say, there were thefts in our community. So that means strangers are roaming around in our community, which means parents are anxious to let their little kids do the needed biking and roller skating or whatever it is that kids need to do freely, at rest and in peace.

[04:07:40] Those are the reasons why I humbly, yet strongly and vehemently request you to oppose this proposal and vote a no on this. Thank you. Thank you, King Phillips.

[04:07:57] George Cave, followed by Raina Bougiageli, and followed by Mira Paul. Good evening. Good evening, Chair Randall and Supervisors. In support of the Hidden Wood Assemblage, I would like to share some facts.

[04:08:14] Hidden Wood residents have been overlooked for about 20 years. For the last five years, they've experienced negative quality of life impacts due to the land changes that caused them to assemble. Hidden Wood homes will be separated from the intense industrial construction by a 15-foot-wide gravel access lane and will have a permanent data center in front of their homes.

[04:08:36] All Hidden Wood homes are on well water, and half of the homes rely on septic systems and propane fuel to support themselves. Their proximity to the construction site is of concern. Once construction begins on Hidden Wood, walking on the lane will be hazardous.

[04:08:53] The residents are boxed in. The adjacent Bridefield homes have a neighborhood street that appropriately supports access to their homes. Approval of this application will not change that. The adjacent Brydefield homes are protected from the industrial vehicle hazards that Hiddenwood now endures.

[04:09:10] Approval of this application will not change that. The adjacent Brydefield homes have a walkable neighborhood to enjoy without construction directly in front of their homes and on their streets. Approval of this application will not change that. Please approve this application and allow Hiddenwood residents to relocate to a safe community and pick up where they left off five years ago.

[04:09:32] Thank you. Thank you. Reina Budigeli followed by Mira Paul followed by Issa Paul. Good evening. Hello, I am Reina Budigeli, a 16-year-old member of Friarfield Estates and I oppose the rezoning application. I live on Ashby Oak Street in one of the houses that will be closest to the new centers. I don't have to explain to you all the problems of living next to a data center that is going to be built. Hidden Wood Community and others from Friarfield are already doing that. But while so many of us from Friarfield field of states have put time and effort to try and defend our community. One of the biggest harms

[04:10:11] that could be committed is assuming that everyone speaking in opposition to the rezoning application does not understand and has no sympathy toward our neighbors' issues. We don't want this application to be approved not because we don't like data centers or we don't care about the Hiddenwood community people, but because this wrong solution brings the same problem to our community's front steps. Throughout everything, we are not diminishing or negating the hassle that the applicant party of Hidden Wood Assemblage has gone through because of the data centers close to them.

[04:10:38] That, in and of itself, is one of the prime motivations of the actual application, is it not? They'll sell their homes to be replaced by a center because they don't want to continue living near the center close to them. They have also suffered with the effects of these centers, but the county allowing another data center to be built in that place does nothing but push that exact same problem onto a much larger community.

[04:11:02] even larger number of people are left facing the harm, construction, noise, smell, blasting, and all else that is yet to follow. I do want the county to find a solution to the Hiddenwood community's problem, but it is not building a data center in their place. My parents bought and moved to our house in 2014 when I was seven years old, where I have grown up and where my little brother, who is almost 10 now, was born and raised. I have spent so many years making relationships, playing on the streets with friends, walking around and enjoying the winds and trees and random birds.

[04:11:36] The Hidden Wood Assemblage has suffered. They are now forced to push this application to escape from the living conditions that their nearby data center has created. But you cannot solve their suffering with this data center. I will push that suffering, no matter the buffer, no matter the trees, onto all of us.

[04:11:53] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thank you very much, young lady. Mira Paul, followed by Issa Paul, followed by Judy Ward. come on uh can we do we have any more that okay we can bring those up right now i do want just want to remind everyone one more time if you want to speak absolutely you can speak but if you feel like that what you would have said has been stated by somebody else you can associate yourself with their comments as well we are on speaker number 44 out of probably about what 90 44 of remote we

[04:12:32] Yeah, I'm not sure we've been halfway there yet. Okay, thank you. Oh, gosh, yeah, yeah. 659, yeah, okay. Yeah, I won't take much time.

[04:12:48] No, no, no. Shh, shh, shh. All right, thank you for the time. I am Mira Paul. I echo the same sentiments of all the Briarfield community. I urge the committee to please oppose the rezoning of Hiddenwood for a data center.

[04:13:05] I just want to add, I want to say the board of supervisors not to transfer the pattern of misery to us, the stress and the potential health risk that Hidden Wood is going through right now. So I implore you to reject this reasoning and please prioritize our community and our well-being of our kids as well.

[04:13:30] Thank you very much. Thank you, ma'am. Issa Paul, followed by Judy Ward, followed by Robbie Budigelny. Good evening. Good evening. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today. My name is Issa Paul.

[04:13:46] I'm 15 years old, and I've been living in Briarfield Estates for over 10 years now. I'm here to express my strong opposition to the rezoning of Hiddenwood Property for a data center. Growing up here has been a blessing. Our community is a place where children play and neighbors support one another.

[04:14:02] But this proposal threatens to change all of that. I have no objections to data centers and construction projects, provided they do not adversely affect people or the environment that they are in. But it's shocking to see county officials starting to approve data centers very close to thriving communities like us without understanding the long-term health issues.

[04:14:23] This rezoning application is one of them. I'm worried about our health. There is not enough scientific data to prove data centers will not cause any health hazards. I've grown up learning about the importance of protecting our environment and conserving resources. How can we stand by and let something so harmful be built right next door?

[04:14:42] Looking at the county land use plan, we will be the first community in the country surrounded by data centers from all sides. Beyond the practical concerns, there's something deeper. This community is my home. It's where I've made memories, formed friendships, and found a sense of belonging.

[04:15:00] The idea of a massive data center taking over our neighborhood feels wrong. It feels like we're being pushed aside in a favor of something that doesn't care about us. What hurts the most is feeling like our voices don't matter. Decisions are being made without truly considering the impact on the people who live here.

[04:15:18] We're being asked to sacrifice so much for something that benefits only a few. It's not fair and it's not right. In conclusion, I urge you to reject this rezoning proposal. Think about the long-term consequences for our environment, health, and community.

[04:15:34] Think about the kind of place we want to live in and the legacy we want to leave for future generations. Thank you. Thank you. Judy Ward, followed by Robbie Buttigelli, followed by Tim Plunkett. Good evening.

[04:15:52] Good evening. Greetings and good evening, Madam Chair and board members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak before you this evening. My name is Judy Ward. I'm a native Virginian and have lived in northern Virginia all my life. I first became familiar with the respective community where Hiddenwood Lane is in 1996 when my brother married someone that currently resided on Hiddenwood Lane.

[04:16:12] I recall several visits to their home over the years and have witnessed the many changes to what was once a secluded and peaceful little piece of heaven to an area that is becoming more and more like an industrial park development with the data centers overcoming the quaint neighborhood that once existed.

[04:16:28] that established residential community is being cast aside and overlooked with the construction of data centers roadway changes and the expansions made of dulles airport the road getting to hidden wood lane racefield lane is congested with trucks going in and out or just parked on the road not to mention the potholes dirt and debris the residents have to succumb to to just trying to get home or even to go out and get their mailboxes to get their mail unlike many homes their mailboxes are not at the end of their driveway. They have to go out their road of Hiddenwood Lane to a section where the mailboxes are, and they had to move them also because of the construction. So getting your

[04:17:07] mail and getting to your home should not be a dreadful, stressful situation where you wonder if you can successfully do so without any interference. Most people tend to feel relief when they are in the last stretch of commute from work or running errands, especially after a long and hot day, many like we've had recently. But unfortunately, due to the current state of situation in the community.

[04:17:28] These residents cannot do that. Since we're in the month of July, it reminds me of a day in July in 2022. My brother required medical attention due to his illness, and 911 was called. Luckily, the medics were able to get through and transport him to the hospital.

[04:17:45] However, he passed away later that month, in the month of July. I visited my sister-in-law several times since then, and there was an occasion, I recall, where we were leaving the home and we were literally stopped at Hiddenwood and could not get out. She asked the driver or went out to ask the driver to move, and it took several minutes before that happened and not able to do it.

[04:18:06] My concern is, much like what happened to him, what if other residents on Hiddenwood Lane have an emergency where they need the medical attention, a fire or an illness, where they need that emergency vehicle to get to them? How can those dedicated and qualified individuals properly do what they need to do and tend to the community?

[04:18:27] Ma'am, your time is up. Okay. Ravi Buttigeli, followed by Tim Plunkett, followed by Daniel Khan. Good evening.

[04:18:43] Good evening. My name is Ravi Buttigeli. I belong to the Briarfield Estates, especially I live in the Ashby Oak community. I strongly oppose this application, not because I don't empathize or sympathize with the Hidden Wood community, and I heard the word human buffer. I do not want them to be our human buffers.

[04:19:00] I really want you to find a solution, and that solution is not building a data center and then making us to be the human buffers next time for a county to do. So I don't have any standing to reduce or eliminate the suffering that they went through and then trivialize them by saying that they stay there so that they can provide protection to us.

[04:19:18] I do not want them to do that, but I want county to find a solution for them that doesn't put a data center there. There's got to be a different solution. It has to be something, no matter what it is and how expensive it is, you need to do right by them and right by us.

[04:19:33] Doing right by them is to provide for their suffering, and doing right by us is not building a data center there. So please do something. And as much as I empathize with their struggles and suffering that they have to endure because of all the construction, I have serious concerns about the application put forth that is creative at best, to put it nicely.

[04:19:55] I heard a comment saying that they tried their best to make the data center not visible. That's a good try by taking the picture of the road instead of taking a picture of what's going to be visible for us from the location of our community. You might as well take a picture of your shoes and then try your very best to hide it.

[04:20:12] And just like I don't have any standing to tell the people of Hidden Wood that their sufferings don't matter to us, I please ask them to refrain and telling us we are protected by the trees. We are not protected by the trees as much as we are. Just like it is very hard for them to get into our community, there is a long period of time for years we suffered getting into our community from the fire station that is a block from us into our community.

[04:20:35] We spent 15, 20 minutes on the driveway to get into our community. So we suffered through that until the new roads were constructed. And I'm not suggesting they suffer through it. I'm not suggesting they go through it. But we really need to find a solution. And just like me, most of our neighbors work from home. We really need the peace and quiet of being able to work from home.

[04:20:54] And we can't do that if the construction is happening throughout the year. And I'm not sure who is going to enforce all the profits if this application gets approved. Are they going to put any enforcement themselves, or we have to monitor our own houses constantly to see what the noise levels are and whatnot? If they cannot be trusted on a simple application with a picture, I seriously doubt we can trust them to build a data center and then maintain all the proffers.

[04:21:16] Thank you. Tim Plunkett, followed by Danielle Kahn, followed by Rayon Kahn. Good evening, sir. Good evening. My name is Tim Plunkett, and I am resident of Briarfield Estates as well as president of the Homeowners Association.

[04:21:35] You asked how we got here, and with all due respect, it's from some terrible decisions that have made in this very room. I'm here tonight to voice my opposition to the Hiddenwood Assemblage rezoning. The approval of this application would not only set a very dangerous precedent going forward, but would also look to only solve 20 people's problems, create another for 72 others.

[04:21:56] When my family and I moved to the neighborhood, we were immediately drawn to the serenity, isolation, and lost vegetation surrounding the neighborhood. We enjoyed long walks with the kids and dogs along the adjacent fields and national trails through the woods. Unfortunately, that's all rapidly changing for the worse due to the greed and blatant disregard for residents shown by Loudoun County.

[04:22:16] At the time we purchased our home, the surrounding land was owned as residential, agricultural, but all it took was deep pockets and corporate lobbying to help pave the way for turning what was grass fields and dense trees into a full-blown industrial center. Now we are once again up against a formidable foe trying to further encroach on our peaceful community and permanently damage the value of our life's greatest investments.

[04:22:38] I truly do feel terrible for what Hidden Wood is going through, but in my opinion, this is an issue deeply rooted in county planning, ignorance, and construction company neglect of safety and well-being. Honestly, I don't think enough avenues have been explored to remedy their problems.

[04:22:57] I worked in construction for 15 years alongside hit contracting and I know the second they get a complaint especially as serious as children being close to being hit at bus stops or any issues like that they would be on top of it in a heartbeat we had an issue in our neighborhood and I called the superintendent and he was there within 30 minutes of me calling him so I think there are other ways that all parties can benefit from this. I do not find it just if just one

[04:23:30] community is allowed to alleviate their issue to the detriment of another. If a data center isn't okay to be built next to 28 in a true industrial center, call it urban zoned, whatever you want, but it's okay to be built here, then there's really, really something deeply rooted wrong with this system and we need to fix it. And it goes way beyond what we're looking at tonight in this application so i do say please vote no for hidden wood application thank you thank you sir you are you are can i can i assume you're speaking um as president yes okay thank you um

[04:24:10] daniel khan followed by rayon khan followed by nasima sate good evening how's it going boyd if you guys were to ask me what my last 20 years are like living on hidden wood lane i just point you to the parking lot. I have a license plate right now, signed Hidden Wood. That's how much this community means to us. I had a full speech prepared before coming here tonight, but after hearing what everyone's had to say, I'd like to point you guys to the map behind you. You see this bottom left corner right here, right there next to Race Field, Hidden Wood? That's our bus stop. It's unimaginable

[04:24:46] to imagine putting our kids, our community, right there in the corner in the middle of one data center, two data centers, and then now a highway going through all of it. It's honestly just, it's the end of the road for Hiddenwood. I mean, we were suggested just to sell our homes at the beginning of this, and if we could, we would, but who in their right mind would purchase a home where, you saw our view, the front yard is essentially a giant wall. It's a data center.

[04:25:13] I'm not even sure how it passes Virginia nuisance law, to be honest. I'm here right now to urge you guys to please allow the data center to be built. We've heard the community complaints from Bayer Field. And what we can sympathize with them is the issues are so far apart, it's hard to describe. They talk about the noise from trucks and other traffic. But I think what's important to note is at the top of Youngwood Lane, there's that little complex there. That's the truck noise.

[04:25:41] It's been going on for 10 years, and the state of Virginia uses it all the time to put their VDOT trucks and whatnot. When I was a kid, we would take our bus up there, make a K-turn, and then come back down. That has no part at all to do with a data center being built. Not to mention they talk about construction, dust, everything, they leave at the top of Cameron Parish Drive. In no part do they ever come up a Racefield Lane or have anything to do with the same level of traffic or construction that we do. We understand that this is a really difficult position to be in. There's two communities where we used to coexist and walk up and down Racefield Lane together, and now we're

[04:26:17] being pitted against each other on the basis of JK Tech and other big companies like that. I think this is the Loudon Board's last chance to do right by Hiddenwood Lane and allow us to leave amicably. That's the goal of Loudon County, is to purchase a home, enjoy the community, and grow with it. And unfortunately, we've been pushed out of ours. Thank you guys for the time. Please consider Loudon's petition. Thank you. Rian Khan, followed by Nasima Saite, followed by Nora LaRime. Good evening. Hi, good evening. My name is Rian Khan. I've lived at my home on Hiddenwood

[04:26:55] lanes since I was around five years old, so basically my entire life. I'm 25 years old now. I've had an amazing childhood because of where our house was and the woods that surrounded it. Over the years, my parents have spent a great deal of time and money making what was to be their forever home. My dad built an amazing deck where we had birthday parties, graduation parties. My mom built a patch where we'd grow all sorts of crops. It was shaking up to be everything they wanted. However, that's changed over the past 10 years. Instead of planning for their retirement, my folks have been fighting the county and this board to stop zoning properties adjacent to our neighborhood as commercial such as jk1 and jk2 but you have all approved in the past now with

[04:27:33] these developments finally underway they have no choice but to move and wood lane has become a commercial construction zone if the application is not improved they will not be left with any options nobody will buy their house and they'll be stuck here i request that you approve this application that is the only choice thank you thank you um nasima sate followed by nora Lavaim, followed by Ram, S-O-M-A-V-A-R-U, I'm sorry, A-R-A-P-U.

[04:28:06] Good evening. Good evening, everyone. It's late. We are all tired, but I really thank you for your time and your patience. You've been hearing this again and again. My name is Nasima Saeed, and I'm a retired educator from Loudoun and Fairfax.

[04:28:27] but here I am today to represent my daughter's family as a mother and a grandmother. The focus of, I don't want to keep it too long, but I do want to mention a few things. The focus of my presentation is to share my thoughts and opinion on where hidden wood homes were in the past and where they are now.

[04:28:53] It was the real Hiddenwood. It was the real Hiddenwood Lane, surrounded by lush greenery and tree branches overhanging as we drove through the lane. There was plenty of wildlife around. I even remember a stream running by, nearby.

[04:29:12] The homes were literally hidden in the woods. On a nice day, my grandsons and I would walk to the mailbox along with our family dog. It was a safe and happy place to bring up a family. But things have changed since 2019, but it's no longer the same place anymore, which is sad.

[04:29:34] Things started to change for the worse since 2019. The quality of life has deteriorated terribly. It's just dust, traffic, and noise. There is no quiet or peace anymore.

[04:29:50] I'm sure it is so stressful and dangerous for the residents going through this exercise day after day. A major detriment to the community is the lack of sidewalks, lighting, landscaping. Even the mailboxes have moved.

[04:30:07] There is no trash pickup service, as access to homes is impossible. In the end, I would like to share a personal experience. This happened to me last year. I was waiting in the car to make a right turn on Route 50, just like we always did.

[04:30:26] But as I was there, just waiting for the traffic to subside, The huge 18-wheeler, huge truck, made a right turn right in front of my face. There's no place to go.

[04:30:41] That road is very narrow. I backed up as much as I could. I'm sorry. I am sorry. Your time is up. All last line. No, ma'am. Approve Hindenwood application. Ma'am, your time is up. Okay, thank you very much. Thank you. I do not mean to be rude when time's up, but if I do that for one person, then I have to figure it out for everybody.

[04:31:02] So, I'm sorry. No problem. Thank you very much. Okay. Yes, Nora Lerine, followed by Rahm, Samabara Paru, followed by...

[04:31:22] Yes, we'll go over there for you. Ready, ma'am? Hello. So, I'm here in support of the Hidden Wood application to rezone. Many years of land use decisions have put my mother and father-in-law in a horrible situation, and they have no other option but to rezone and to move.

[04:31:38] With the data center being built down the street, no one will buy their home. The neighboring community of Briarfield is a buy-right community. They knew that there was going to be industrial development and airport noise when they bought their homes. This is not the case with the residents of Hiddenwood.

[04:31:56] The county has overlooked them over and over again. Please approve their application. Thank you. Thank you. Sir, after you will be, it's last name, N-A-N-N-A-P-A-N-E-N-I, and I think that family is coming next, but you are next, sir.

[04:32:20] Thank you. Good evening, Madam Chair and Board of Supervisors. My name is Ram Swamovarapu, and I live in White Ridge Court, part of the Bradfield Estates, along with my two kids and my wife. We moved to this community in 2019 from Broadlands as an upgrade, thinking that we're doing an upgrade to a greener and secluded neighborhood.

[04:32:47] But the decisions made by the Loudoun Board of Supervisors in 2019 by wrongly rezoning and approving multiple JK applications made the head and wood assemblies miserable.

[04:33:03] Now, while we are looking like during the COVID, at the end of the pandemic, we noticed that there is another data center started building up at the end of our Camden Parish Drive. We didn't even realize because the time passed throughout the COVID, by the end of the COVID, the big construction was going on.

[04:33:23] Within a few months, then we came to know that Hidden World residents submitted a rezoning application to address their miseries. And we are sympathetic to their concern. However, we strongly believe that their miseries are being passed on to our neighborhood.

[04:33:39] We don't want another data center just like we all are seeing that like everyone is explaining their issues with the data center, construction issues and the noise issues, foundation cracking issues, blasting issues. That is what like access to the Hiddenwood community is complaining that it is very tough for them to live in their neighborhood and they want to move away from there.

[04:34:02] But to what? to provide another data center. So they want Briarfield Estates community to be another head inward pretty soon. So we would like to oppose the rezoning application. We would like the Board of Supervisors to find the alternative solution.

[04:34:20] Like rather than constructing a data center there, we would recommend you to, we would ask you to provide alternative solution like the one which you are proposing earlier with the data center on the 28, why don't you go with another park or concert or something with maybe county can purchase the property what the contractor is paying them and buy something else there.

[04:34:42] That is what we find an innovative and out-of-box solution so that don't bring any more data centers close to the neighborhoods. Thank you very much for giving me this time. Thank you, sir. Yes, you're next, sir, and your family.

[04:34:59] And then after you would be Sandeep John followed by Sohan John. Good evening, everyone. My name is Prasad Nannapaneni, so I live in Ashby Oak Court, just three houses away from the proposed data center now.

[04:35:16] So I know very well, I'm living there for the last 12 years, so I know very well how the Hidden Wood is, and I used to go for walking on Racefield Lane. I feel sorry for them, but still, with all these things happening, I have a few questions like, you know, I don't want to repeat in all the things what my friends and neighbors already spoke about.

[04:35:40] I have a few questions that I want to ask is just imagine if I give an opportunity, will I buy a house in a hidden wood or any of you buy a house in a hidden wood? No, right? I guess no.

[04:35:56] In a similar situation, imagine yourself buying a house surrounded by data centers after this data center is constructed. Just you have seen that map there with all the data centers around. How many of you would love to live in the houses like that?

[04:36:14] Please do consider and take appropriate decision, which is good for all the people, for both the communities, and then help us. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

[04:36:29] Ma'am, you will be next, and then you will be followed by Sandeep John and Sohan John and Pallavi Muli. Good evening. Good evening. I've lived in Briarfield Estates for 10 years now, and I'm here to discuss what I believe is a main effect of this application, which many people before me have already stated, which is air pollution.

[04:36:53] The desensitization to air pollution, especially in young children, can affect their development and health long-term. Young children can start to gain respiratory issues, which can become severe. Children can also gain reduced awareness to the severity of the pollutants, which can, it can like, it can like make them like, it won't even let them realize what they're going through and what severity is happening to their bodies. And it's important

[04:37:29] now more than ever to protect these children from these harmful factors. As a teenager living in this neighborhood, I'm concerned about my well-being as well as other children's. The possibility of compromised air quality due to construction poses a threat to our thriving and peaceful community. Thus, if you care about the well-being and health of the people living in this neighborhood, please don't approve this application. Thank you. Would you do me a favor and for the record, say your name? Akshita. Okay, your last name? Nanapaneni. Thank you very much.

[04:38:05] Thank you. Sandeep John followed by Sohan John followed by Palabi Mule. Good evening. Good evening, My name is Sandeep Jain. I'm a resident at Briarfield Estates.

[04:38:21] I consider myself privileged for raising my family in a tranquil environment offered by the Briarfield community. I have a teenage son who has been fortunate enough to spend most of his childhood without any impact of data centers. He would be putting his perspective as well after me.

[04:38:38] I also have a five-year-old daughter who would be starting elementary school next year. And the school she's going to is all surrounded by data centers. And I'm concerned that the negative side effects of the data center she will have to deal with not only at the school, but she'll also have to deal with the same side effects when she returns back to home.

[04:38:58] So I would also like to say that there's so much talk about data centers, and not only us, but also the Hidden Valley residents agree the side effects of the data centers, that we do not want data centers.

[04:39:13] So I'm completely sympathetic to them, but at the same time, passing the same trauma or the side effects of data centers to the other community is not the right solution. I urge the county officials to not repeat the same mistakes and to find a better alternative.

[04:39:33] The solution that you come up with may not be financially rewarding to elderly residents, but it will be a right balance considering the negative side effects of the data centers we all agree. My additional point I would like to mention about the plan, which is the open space that is referred in the plan is part of the Briarfield Estates community, it's not part of the Hidden Valley.

[04:39:58] And that is being proposed as a positives of the plan, but that land belongs to Briarfield Estates, not Hidden Valley. And that's what attracted us to the community because it was a community with lots of open space and natural protection or barrier of the trees.

[04:40:17] So the plan is not depicting the correct picture, in my opinion. The other thing I would like to say is the power grid situation that we all agree. We already know that there are three data centers that have already been approved, and this additional data center would further jeopardize the power situation in the community.

[04:40:44] So I think that's all I have to say, but thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. Thank you, sir. Sohan Jain followed by Pallavi Mully, and then we're going to go to the remote speakers, and then we're going to go from there to the speakers who signed up tonight. Good evening.

[04:41:00] Good evening. My name is Sohan Jain. I'm 17 years old, and I'm also a resident of Bowerfield Estates. In the 50 or so speeches here before me today, we've heard a lot about the economic and even environmental implications of constructing data centers near our community. But in these next two minutes, I want to take a step back and talk about the consequences that this would have on what matters the most for our future, the younger generation. Like a lot of the kids in our community, I've lived in Briarfield Estates for most of my life, and some of the earliest memories that I have are rooted here, whether it was playing basketball early in the morning before our bus arrived or making colorful chalk drawings on the sidewalk. But I think the

[04:41:39] memory that stuck with me the most was riding my bike around the community and occasionally exploring the gravel path that extended beyond it. That was until recently a new data center was built in the area, blocking the path that we would frequently explore. But this isn't just about losing a bike path. It's about losing the core memories that we had since this data center was built. And as more and more land turns into construction zones, it's important to reflect on the negative impacts that these developments have on local residents. Children in our community will not be able to play outside safely due to air pollution, and sleep schedules will be disrupted

[04:42:16] from construction noise, just to name a few. No, I don't want to reiterate the negative consequences of a data center being built in our community, because matter of fact, I think that the Hidden View residents actually agree with us, as shown in their speeches. Data centers destroy communities.

[04:42:32] But then that brings me to a point that, frankly, I'm surprised only one or two speakers before me have even mentioned. Is this really a matter of the repercussions of building data centers, or is it about the financial benefits that they receive from these data centers being built? I sympathize with the Hidden View residents, but if there's anything that this application reminds me of, it's an eye for an eye.

[04:42:54] As we continue to discuss this issue, I ask everyone to think further than just the status quo or just the next few years. Rather, what would our community look like 5, 10, or maybe even 15 years into the future? Will our kids have the opportunity to explore the gravel bike path that extends beyond the community?

[04:43:14] or will that gravel path be the foundation for a series of massive data centers that's the choice that we make today thank you thank you um so before i call on the next speaker i'm going to let you all know let andrew know that i'll be going to the web to the webex speakers as soon as i as soon as this speaker and then i'll go back to the people that signed up tonight okay okay so um palabi muli and then the first web speaker will be david hosafloak and i'm called I'm told he's calling internationally from Albania, and then after that, Natalie Pien.

[04:43:54] But we have one more right now. Pala B. Mully, last name M-U-L-E-Y. Are you in the room? He's not in the room? Okay. Well, then we're going to the Webex speakers. That's why I meant the remote speakers, yes.

[04:44:12] Yeah, but these are remote that came in tonight. I'm not going to take them before I take them in order. Andy, you ready? Good evening, supervisors.

[04:44:28] I'm David Hassefluk. I'm representing my parents, who are residents of Hiddenwood Lane. And yes, I am calling in from Albania, where I've worked as a missionary since 1992. I know it's late.

[04:44:44] I've been on hold since midnight in my time, so I'm running on Red Bulls and coffee, too. This is a very important issue for my parents' health. They're only 80. 11 years ago, they retired in Hiddenwood after a career of military, civilian, and community service.

[04:45:08] Hiddenwood's peacefulness and proximity to their daughter, my sister, was the perfect solution for their winter years, especially with me serving overseas. Over the past five years, though, this fiasco has become the dominant theme of almost every conversation with my parents.

[04:45:25] The stress has already harmed their health of being substantially and irreparably. So, you know, any suggestion made tonight that approval is some, quote, financial reward, unquote, for Hiddenwood is at best naive and untrue.

[04:45:47] This began with their fight to oppose a data to their south without any sympathetic help from their many neighbors to their north. Now, like many of you, I watched the videos and PowerPoints from afar about the dangers and the chaos. I looked at the diagrams, the colored maps of the razor-thin buffer outside Hiddenwood's front doors, every Hiddenwood home front doors, but not until several months ago when I visited personally did I come to understand that you can't understand the situation through video maps and speeches.

[04:46:22] Only those who visit and see the situation personally can appreciate the unique plight of wood. Indeed, it is this unique plight that is creating an ample buffer and many accommodations for briarfield that should have been afforded the hidden wood.

[04:46:43] It is a night and day difference. My incredible parents taught us to never play the victim, but in this situation, they are indeed victims of a decision that you can remedy without creating equivalent victims.

[04:47:01] Please visit Hiddenwood, give them the remedy they deserve, and approve this application. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Natalie Pien, followed by Irvin Calhoun, followed by Sarah Dotson. Hello, Chair Randall and Supervisors.

[04:47:19] My name is Natalie P.M. from the Little River District, not directly impacted like earlier passionate youth and adult speakers. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts for opposing the Hidden Wind Assemblatory Zoning application to allow data center use. A proven application will create similar problems for other communities and set an undesirable precedent that other residential communities will want to follow.

[04:47:44] As we know, data center business cannot continue. Loudoun's past nearly 100% data center approval created the energy delivery crisis requiring new electricity infrastructure for central and western Loudoun. Such infrastructure damages the scenic Goose Creek, industrializes the entrance to Leesburg, and threatens western Loudoun's rural character, a key component to Loudoun's very identity.

[04:48:10] What happens in Loudoun does not stay in Loudoun. Loudoun's data center land use decisions cause increases in greenhouse gas emissions and prevents Virginia from meeting its emissions reduction requirements as mandated by the Virginia Clean Economy Act law.

[04:48:27] Decisions made have negative impacts on the common law. In February this year, you acknowledged that data center development required improved management and initiated a project plan to amend both the comprehensive plan and the zoning ordinance. The July 10th staff project plan presentation for discussion made it very clear that there was no interest in allowing more data development next to homes, no interest in allowing more data centers, and no interest in continued by-right data centers rezoning any zoning district.

[04:49:01] Virginia's Joint Legislative Audit Review Committee, JLAR, also recognizes that data center industry requires better oversight and authorizes a robust study on the industry's impact. There's even federal legislation, S-3732, H.R. 7197, to evaluate the distribution of artificial intelligence on the climate crisis in terms of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

[04:49:26] As you see, there are data center environmental and climate change concerns that all of the government. We are in a climate crisis. Heat records across the globe are being broken. There are 1,300 heat deaths at the highest pilgrimage in Mecca, and there's more problems.

[04:49:44] Given this information and earlier testimony, it's not responsible to approve this rezoning that will increase greenhouse gas emissions. Ms. Pann, your time is up, ma'am. Thank you. Irvin Calhoun followed by Sarah Dotson followed by Thomas Cave.

[04:50:03] Good evening, supervisors. I am Irvin Calhoun, now living in Georgia. My son at this time moved to the Hidden Wood community 13 years ago. My wife and I have visited them and have always enjoyed the Hidden Wood community. When we began to approach our 80s, my son invited us to come live with them so they could help us in our years.

[04:50:23] To accomplish this, we invested in a necessary dwelling behind my son's home where, when we were no longer able to live independently, we planned to live. However, we were concerned with the quality of life on the Hiddenwood community that has been changing with the construction nearby which was not a safe environment to surround residential homes.

[04:50:45] The stress and hardships in the Hidden Wood residents have endured the last few years are unimaginable with constant worry about what will continue for the decade to come and the permanent harm to their homesteads. The residents of Hidden Wood have, for several years, been attempting to address this issue with semblance where they have expanded time, effort, and money to defend themselves.

[04:51:10] They believe that the disruption has crossed us far enough that their only viable solution is to sell the homes and sell elsewhere. The country says they need to have the zoning of hidden wood changed from residential to commercial. The residents are in crisis, and this is their only solution.

[04:51:28] They have spent great effort preparing their case to you. The hidden wood assemblage is not just an application. These are individual facilities, and this is their lifetime. Sadly, my wife passed away in 2022. However, I am now 83, and I still want to live with my son.

[04:51:46] And this is if they have settled into a different home that is not in Hiddenwood. Please understand the urgency of this situation and approve this application. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Sarah Dodson, followed by Thomas K., followed by Benjamin Hosefluk.

[04:52:03] Good evening, gentlemen and supervisors. I am Sarah Dodson, a former tenant of Hiddenwood Lane, speaking to you tonight with a sense of urgency, having experienced the dire consequences of unspeakable development surrounding the Hiddenwood community.

[04:52:21] I wholeheartedly support the Hiddenwood assemblage application. The continuous data center and road construction projects have to a hazardous environment where the safety of tenants and homeowners are under constant threat, from blocked emergency exits to an overwhelming number of construction vehicles and crews, the hazards I encountered forced me to relocate for safety reasons. As a result, our former landlords, Hiddenwood homeowners, have lost the financial benefits of financial income, and I cannot imagine anyone wanting to rent there in the future. However, my concern is not just for myself,

[04:52:56] but also for those who remain, who have only experienced the iceberg of what is yet to come. I am deeply worried about the safety of all the residents, particularly vulnerable groups, such as older people and children, who are at a higher risk. Given the urgency and severity of the situation, I appeal to this board to vote to approve the Hiddenwood Assemblage application.

[04:53:18] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Dodson. Thomas Cave, followed by Benjamin Hosefluk, followed by Nick Early. Good evening, Sarah Randall and Supervisors. My name is Thomas Cave. My older sister, Trisha Kate and Jonathan Early have lived on Hiddenwood Lane for some time now, and I'm speaking in support of the Hiddenwood Assemblage. Many years of land use zoning changes occurred to include a realistic and compatible solution for the Hiddenwood community.

[04:53:57] After their due diligence, the community realized they had no other option than to engage real estate use and legal professionals to determine how to logically and equitably grow and evolve. They needed objective, market-based land use advice to address the new zoning realities that was their health, safety, wellness, and ability to quietly enjoy their properties at risk.

[04:54:20] They discovered the following. First, their assembly does not realistically support a rezoning for residential. Second, due to the size of the site and the proximity of the adjacent zoning, a data center was the only option on residential use of their land.

[04:54:35] Finally, any other marked solution would leave them at a significant financial loss. This application is a sensible solution based on the overall circumstances. The applicants have incorporated all reasonable requests. Please approve this application to allow the residents to recover from the years that they have lost.

[04:54:56] Thank you, sir. Benjamin Hosofluk, followed by Nick Early, followed by Kathy Warwick. Good evening, Chair Randall and Supervisors. My name is Benjamin Hosofluk. from the grandson, nephew, and cousin of Hiddenwood residents.

[04:55:13] I'm speaking in full support of the Hiddenwood Assemblage application. It's evident that no other Lowndes County community endures all 10 of the following simultaneous impacts. First, the Hiddenwood Access Road is extremely dangerous with constant changing hazards, heavy and intimidating industrial traffic, and work crews everywhere.

[04:55:31] The Dulles West segment will not solve the problem as its only purpose for the next few years is for industrial traffic to Hiddenwood residents. Their entrance will be overwhelmed with data center construction, substantial construction, and VDOT access that will continue on Racefield. Two, access to their homes is frequently blocked, causing delays, and emergency vehicle access could be obstructed.

[04:55:51] Three, the approved data center's proximity to the homes is among the closest in the county. This data center will be in full from all their front doors. Four, their community lane is located on property owned by the adjacent development, resulting in limited protection from further encroachment. Five, children with construction hazards to board school buses.

[04:56:10] Six, homeowners, wells, septic systems, and fuel tanks are within yards of planned construction and at risk of damage. Seven, services have been refused to the residents, including trash pickup and grocery delivery. Eight, safety hazards force residents to stop inviting guests over.

[04:56:26] Nine, there is no longer safe walkability. And ten, the front yards of 13 hidden one lots have mixed designations of both residential and industrial place types. Unlike any other community, 100% of the residents are affected, causing constant stress and significant visual impact.

[04:56:43] The time is now for the county to do the right thing. Please vote to approve the Hidden Woods application. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Nick Early, followed by Kathy Warwick, followed by Jacqueline Clement. Good evening, Madam Chair and Supervisors.

[04:57:03] I respectfully ask that you approve Hidden Woods application to resolve. Hidden Wood residents live in dangerous conditions because of the use change that ignored the fact that people lived on Hidden Wood Lane. They have lost the ability to enjoy their homes and their property. This has been a reality since the data center began in 2021. Due to the compounding impacts and land use of incompatibility, they were forced to seek a solution for the market to address the unique problem which they cannot create. I ask that you rezone them quickly before the situation escalates with the current and future construction of the Dulles West Roadway and the many other sites of break ground.

[04:57:43] They're already boxed in and required to access their homes through hazardous conditions for up to 10 years. If they're unable to work, they face living permanently in a data center industrial park with a data center in front of their homes. Please approve them without delay.

[04:57:59] Thank you, Mr. Early. Kathy Warwick, followed by Jacqueline Clement, followed by Dorna Tainter. Hello.

[04:58:15] Yes, ma'am. Okay. Good evening, esteemed members of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. My name is Kathy Warwick. She was a realtor in Loudoun County with a rich experience of 17 years in the field. I witnessed the ebb and flow of our community's growth, and today I address you as a realtor but as an advocate for the Hidden Woods Assemblage application.

[04:58:38] Fifteen years ago, I had the pleasure of assisting a family find a home on Hiddenwood Lane, which offered solace in the congestion of Fairfax County. Soon after, the grandparents moved to Hiddenwood Lane to be near them. My clients now turned dear friends have endured the challenges brought by unexpected surrounding land use changes.

[04:58:57] What was once a peaceful haven has become a construction zone, disrupting the term tranquility they sought. I believe you emphasize with the heartache my friends are experiencing. The Hidden Wood Assemblage application aligns with the evolving landscape of land use in the area.

[04:59:14] Looking towards commercial and industrial development has been long planned in the county. The Assemblage has committed to collaborating with and providing safeguards for the adjacent community. My friends simply desire to move forward with their lives. Rezoning of this small section of land is a logical step in harmonizing the changing dynamics of the region and respect for county citizens residing on Hidden Wood Lane.

[04:59:39] In conclusion, drawing from almost two decades of professional experience in Loudoun County, I firmly believe that a HINWOOD assemblage application is the right decision for this location. It is a decision that acknowledges the ongoing development of our community while showing understanding and sincere respect for the hurdles encountered by my dear friends and their neighbors.

[05:00:02] Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Jacqueline Clement, followed by Dorner Tainter, followed by Garrett Belzer. Good evening to you all.

[05:00:18] My name is Jacqueline Clement, and for 24 years, I have been a resident of Loudoun County and an EL teacher at three Loudoun County high schools. Over this time, I have witnessed immense changes as a result of the rapid growth. I'm here to speak in support of the Hidden Wood Assemblish request for rezoning.

[05:00:34] I've personally visited my family and friends who have lived there for the past years. I am astounded by the changes. I understand the concerns of the Briarfield community, but the Hiddenwood community has had and will have it worse. The major change is a construction nightmare that has become untenable.

[05:00:51] The primary access to this neighborhood is via a one-way road, which has become increasingly congested due to construction vehicles. The need for work control traffic down Braithfield Lane often causes delays of up to 10 to 20 minutes. This impedes normal life activities. It will potentially cause the ability of fire and rescue to run swiftly and effectively in case of emergencies.

[05:01:12] School buses cannot travel safely via this route. This is all very stressful for those residents who are handicapped, elderly, or suffering from chronic illnesses. Even the completion of Dulles West Boulevard will bring this construction traffic even closer to their homes.

[05:01:29] When people bought their houses, they had faith that fair, equal practices for all would be relied upon from the county. In light of these issues, rezoning the neighborhood would provide a viable solution. You have the ability to vote for a better outcome for these long-time Loudoun County citizens.

[05:01:45] Please do not treat them as expendable in comparison to others in this area. It should not be the human buffer. Please attend to their needs equitably. Thank you. Thank you. Dorna Tainter, followed by Garrett Belzer, followed by Pam Cave.

[05:02:05] Dorna has not called back in yet. Dorna has not called back in yet. Mr. Baltzer, I believe you're in the room. You will be followed by Pam Cave, who will be followed by, I think it's Church, Church Adcox.

[05:02:21] Good evening, sir. Good evening. My name is Garrett Baltzer. Don't want to repeat everything that's been said tonight, so I'll make this a little bit shorter. My father is Scott Baltzer, a member of the Hidden Wood Lane community. The Baltzers have been an integral part of Loudoun County for nearly a century, spanning over three generations.

[05:02:41] My father's company had helped develop this great county, connecting thousands of homes over the past 30 years to Loudoun's water and sewer system. My older brother, who's here tonight as well, is an inspector at Loudoun Water, and I'm a math teacher at John Champ High School in Aldi. I tell you all this to stress the fact that we're not some business entity looking for approval.

[05:03:03] We're a community of hardworking contributors to this county that have no options left and are coming to you, our elected leaders, for help. Approval of the Hiddenwood Assemblage application would allow my father and his neighbors to regain their lives, getting back some sense of normalcy to move on and put this terrible situation behind them.

[05:03:21] Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you, sir. Pam Kay, followed by Church Adcox, followed by Eran Nalia. Good evening. Good evening, Madam Chair and members of the board. I'm here to advocate for the Hiddenwood Assemblage.

[05:03:37] The two communities involved in this dispute are truly not similarly situated. If you look at the slide up atop, the Hiddenwood Lane Road itself is not a state road. It's not a county road. It's really a private drive, and it belongs to JK2.

[05:03:55] It's really an easement. And because this board already granted JK2 permission to build a data center on their property there, they can technically, as another gentleman said, build whatever they're going to build right up to the front driveways of the homes on Hiddenwood.

[05:04:13] They have no remedy to get out from under the situation that's been created by the government unless they can have an eject button, so to speak. That's why this idea of having an assemblage trying to sell the property as a unit is the only option they have.

[05:04:31] Current economics of real estate in the county require that someone pay enough so they can find new places to live. It has nothing to do with financial windfalls. It has to do with trying to be similarly situated and be out from under this situation that was not created by them.

[05:04:51] They're very different from Briarfield Estates. They only have one way in. They don't even own the road. And, again, this body has already given JK2 permission to put a data center there. A data center is going in there. It just matters at this point how close is it going to be on the JK2 property up to where the Briarfield Estates property is.

[05:05:15] Hiddenwood, the people of Hiddenwood Lane, the assemblage have no other remedy, no other option but to get out. Because of decisions that have been made by this board and other property owners around them, they cannot sell the property as we regularly would sell it.

[05:05:31] They can't put up a for sale sign. No one will buy it. The only way for their families to get out is to have this deal so that someone can buy the property, use it appropriately, and then they can find a new place to live. That's why it would be fair and appropriate and just under all these circumstances that you all approve the application.

[05:05:51] Thank you. Thank you. My eyes are going a little wonky, and so I'm just going to go next in line for board leadership and hand the names to Mr. Turner. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[05:06:07] Thank you. Mr. Adcox, you're next up, followed by Arian Nala, followed by Madhu Nala. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[05:06:23] I've been called a lot. Church wasn't one of them, but I got bad handwriting, I guess. I'm sorry. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. I'm here to support the Hidden Wood application to rezone. The application is the only viable option to remove 16 families from permanent devastating impacts of incompatible land use.

[05:06:44] The approved data center adjacent to Hidden Wood residents will be constructed parallel to about 15 feet wide prescriptive easement. easement is the only way residents can access their homes. Residents have tirelessly documented all sorts of different hazards over the last couple of years. Personally, if you take a ride off of Route 50 and you take a ride on Racefield Lane, first thing you're going to think is, "I'm at a data center campus." That's what I think. It actually makes sense. Hidden Wood will forever be in a data center industrial park. While Briarfield is protected by its community design,

[05:07:22] separate access points green space surrounding buffers hidden woods lost the ability to walk in in on hidden wood lane at this point construction from uh by by right data center development is occurring outside of the briar briar briarfield neighborhood right now and this application includes provisions of funds to uh add tree screening as they discussed i think they They raised it from 30 to 100,000 in buffers, so obviously willing to work to make it great for both parties.

[05:08:01] Comparisons claiming Hiddenwood is doing the same to another community are just not right. It's unfair and unreasonable to offer this community, Hiddenwood, as a buffer between Briarfield and the pending data centers. Thank you.

[05:08:17] Thank you, sir. Next up is Aryan Nala, followed by Maru Nala, followed by Jim Bingle. Good evening. Good evening, Board of Supervisors.

[05:08:36] My name is Aryan Nala, and I am 10 years old. I live in Brattlefield Estates community, and I am here today to talk about why I am strongly against the Hiddenwood rezoning and the construction of a data center. First of all, I love living here in Brattlefield Estates.

[05:08:55] Our neighborhood is a great place for kids like me. We have safe streets to ride our bikes and lots of trees in nature. If a big data center is built in Hayden Wood, in addition to yonder data center on the south of Caramon Parish Drive, I am worried that all of this will change.

[05:09:13] Data centers are huge buildings that need a lot of electricity and water to keep them running. This can lead to more pollution and noise, which is not good for our health or for the environment. I don't want our clean air to become dirty or our quiet streets to become noisy.

[05:09:31] Another big concern is the noise. Data sensors can make a lot of noise from all the machines running inside of them. This constant noise can make it hard to sleep, study, or just enjoy being outside. Imagine trying to do all your homework or play outside with the sound of loud machines in the background all the time.

[05:09:53] It would make our neighborhood feel more like a factory than a place where people live. Also, if a data center is built, it will make our neighborhood feel more like a factory. I don't want to wake up every day feeling like I live next to a giant factory with loud machines and constant activity.

[05:10:13] It would take away peace and quiet that we have now. Our community should be a place where people can relax and enjoy their homes, not feel like they are living in an industrial zone. In conclusion, we should not rezone hidden wood and build a data center.

[05:10:33] A data center belongs to a business or industrial area, not where people live and play. Please consider our health, safety, and happiness when making your decision. Thank you for listening. Thank you, young man. Next up is Madhu Nala, followed by Jim Bingle, followed by Teresa Rosen.

[05:10:55] Good evening, Board of Supervisors. My name is Madhu Nala. I'm a resident of the Briarfield Estates Community. I'm here today to express my strong opposition to the proposed rezoning of Edenwood Community Builder Data Center. I decided to not repeat whatever my neighbors have already spoken, but I would like to invite all Board of Supervisors to come and experience firsthand the current livability of our community.

[05:11:23] Walk our streets and talk to our residents. Understand the quality of life we are fighting to protect. Many of you have pledged to oppose the construction of data center next to residential communities, and we urge you to honor those promises. It is alarming that the land surrounding our Briarfield estates are being rezoned either by right or through other means to build data centers. The Briarfield estates community will soon be surrounded by massive data centers from all directions. It almost feels like we are part of some grand experiment studying how

[05:12:01] human cope when encircled 360 degrees by giant industrial structures. In conclusion, the proposed rezoning of Edenwood for a data center is not the best interest of Briarfield Estates community. The potential benefits of such development are far outweighed by the detrimental effects on our quality of life, environment, and property values. I respectfully ask the board to reject this application and save Briarfield Estates community. Thank you for your time and consideration.

[05:12:34] Thanks, sir. Next up is Jem Bingle, followed by Teresa Rosen, followed by Kenny Calhoun. Good evening, Supervisors. I'm Jem Bingle speaking on behalf of the Piedmont Environmental Council.

[05:12:56] It is unfortunate that earlier decisions have brought us to this juncture because it's clear that no one wants to be in this situation. Quality of life for Loudoun homeowners and residents will be diminished, no matter whether you decide for or against this application.

[05:13:13] PEC opposed the earlier data center rezonings in the Arcola area, and we don't support any further conversion from residential to data centers. As mentioned earlier, we supported the residents of Hiddenwood in opposing the JK Tech 2 Park application.

[05:13:30] We have also met with them about this application and have shared our reasons for opposing it. My colleague, Tia Ehrman, has also met with a Briarfield Estates residence to hear their concerns. This application is not in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan Suburban Neighborhood Place Type designation for the area.

[05:13:50] And last week, staff recommended keeping these two neighborhoods as the Suburban Neighborhood Place Type in the Phase 1 mapping edits for the data center CPAM and ZOAM. Since most of you supported the staff's recommendation, we urge you to make a decision on this rezoning request consistent with your support for that staff recommendation.

[05:14:12] It is clear that Hiddenwood neighbors are in a tough spot, but the contract that binds Hiddenwood with this application would put still another data center next to a residential neighborhood, something that you have opposed. Your decision is not about deciding which community will have things worse, but making a good land use decision and finding a way to take care of both communities, while also recognizing that data center development cannot continue as it has due to all of the energy issues facing Loudoun and Virginia.

[05:14:49] I wish you all of my respect and good luck in making this decision. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Next up is Teresa Rosen, followed by Kenny Calhoun, followed by Sandy Payartha.

[05:15:18] Teresa Rosen, okay, thank you. Kenny Calhoun? All right. Good evening, Chair, Randall, and Supervisors. I'm Kenny Calhoun, seeking your support for that.

[05:15:35] Mr. Calhoun, have you spoken already? No, that's my brother Caleb. I'm sorry. My apologies. All right. Yeah, okay. You get that a lot, I'm sure.

[05:15:52] Yeah, more than often. all right it is significant for a group of homeowners some living in their property for generations to feel the need to leave they are not angry but rather a respectable respectful group who are broken down overwhelmed exhausted and depressed it has been five years since their first community meeting on the jk2 application and they have lost five years of their lives to this issue they are absolutely terrified of what may happen to them if this application is not approved

[05:16:25] In consultation with planning commissioners, county staff, and supervisors, Hiddenwood Lane has gone above and beyond to protect Briarfield Estates, particularly the homes on Ashby Oak Court, closest to Hiddenwood. Unlike Hiddenwood, whose home has a complete frontage to a data center, the homes on Ashby Oak would not face a data center directly, and the garage sides of their homes are next to a substantial buffer.

[05:16:54] Profert and buffers provided to Briarfield are exceedingly generous, and the data center will be virtually hidden from their view. They will receive a landscaping plan and $100,000 in funding to block their view from the Allegro South data center and the Dulles West Boulevard, which are completely visible from Cameron Parrish Drive, even though this data center and roadway have nothing to do with this application. If this application is denied, Briarfield cannot implement this plan. If this application is denied, 15 Hiddenwood families will endure 10 years of data

[05:17:32] center construction and in the end be the only community in Loudoun County whose residents must drive through a data center park to access their homes which face a data center with little tree buffer. Please approve this application to bring resolution and relief to Hiddenwood.

[05:17:49] Thank you. Thank you. Sandeep Payarda, followed by Kyle Calhoun, followed by Sheba Namburi. Good evening, Madam Chair and members of the board.

[05:18:09] My name is Sandeep Payarda, and I am the resident of Briarfield SJs, living there from 2013. I oppose this reasoning proposal. As indicated by the residents of my community, I am also personally concerned about the negative impacts.

[05:18:25] Through the several meetings I have attended regarding these data centers, I understand that during the zoning of our residential property, it is clear that our community was in the industrial zone. In such case, why was it approved as a residential land, putting us through this situation with these future implications?

[05:18:48] Where was the Planning Commission's responsibility in this matter? Well, many of you say that it was the predecessor's fault. If that is the case, now is the time for the current Planning Commission or the Board of Supervisors' responsibility to think through deeply and do the needful and protect the demands of the residents who have bought this, bought their hard-earned investments, which is our homes.

[05:19:15] I moved to this county believing that it has a wonderful school district and the community being close to the nature. My kids love this community and have made many friends and are very attached to this community and my home.

[05:19:36] I would like to question, if our community was not meant to be designed to be in this industrial zone, Then why was a new school, Ellen Thompson, and a new residential home, which is adjacent to the school, planned in the same zone, which lies much more closer to the flight path?

[05:19:54] My daughters go to Ellen Thompson, which is also in close proximity to the data center. Adding to that, I now see a new preschool, which is present when we exit our community, right at the traffic signal.

[05:20:10] I believe it is the sole responsibility of the Planning Commission to plan well. The thought of our community being surrounded by data centers in all directions, northeast, west, south, is just baffling. I hope the board will have a solution to this madness.

[05:20:27] The same board once denied the approval of a soccer field, considering all the safety concerns. I urge the Planning Commissioner and the Board of Supervisors to deny, to do not approve the reasoning process. Thank you.

[05:20:43] Thanks, sir. Next up is Kyle Calhoun, followed by Sheba Namburi, followed by Garrett Balzer. Good evening, Chair Randall and Supervisors.

[05:21:00] I am Kyle Calhoun. I have not spoken yet, but I can understand how you may see the resemblance between me and my handsome younger brothers. But I am the son and grandson of Hiddenwood residents asking you to support the Hiddenwood Assemblage application. It is important to recognize the impacts in Hiddenwood will be permanent despite claims to the contrary.

[05:21:17] Hiddenwood's construction hazards have already lasted for three years and will continue and compound for 10 more. There's no end in sight for Hiddenwood. However, the significant mitigation measures offered in the Hiddenwood application will prevent this from happening to Briarfield. It is a false equivalent to state that Hiddenwood is doing the same thing to Briarfield that is being done to Hiddenwood. The Hiddenwood residents have applied the golden rule due unto others and insisted on protections for Briarfield that are far above the status quo. Briarfield does not and will not have the onslaught of industrial traffic and access impacts that Hindenwood deals with on a daily basis, and Brierfield will not have to contend with overwhelming and unsaved

[05:21:53] construction traffic for 10 years. Their access is far away from construction, and as part of previous, excuse me, as part of a previously approved data center application, the county adopted measures to have construction traffic rerouted away from Brierfield Lane. In contrast, Hindenwood has no choice but to navigate through construction traffic every day.

[05:22:13] In closing, remember this fact, the location of entry to Briarfield in natural geography and topography of the Hiddenwood site make it physically impossible for Briarfield to experience the same harms that Hiddenwood has already experienced and will face in years to come. And I'm so grateful and thankful for the voices of everyone that I've heard tonight, being able to share from hearts, especially from our Briarfield neighbors.

[05:22:36] I'm grateful that they have had a chance to speak. But I want to raise the issue that my parents, my grandparents, friends and neighbors that we've had for many years have not been able to share their voices at any part of this process outside of private meetings. I've sat through countless meetings with the Planning Commission, through workshop sessions and through this as well.

[05:22:57] And I just really wish that the voices of these Hiddenwood residents that you could hear their stories, their hopes and their dreams, the heartache and heartbreak that they've had to endure during this time. And this is representative of what Hiddenwood residents have had to deal with for almost the past 50 years.

[05:23:14] It's a quiet voice that's not heard in what they are needing. So Hiddenwood is a small community that is the victim of circumstances beyond its control, and we need your help. And we hope the board will help with logic and compassion and support our application, and we truly appreciate your help in this difficult situation.

[05:23:31] Thank you, sir. Up now is Shiba Namburi, followed by Garrett Balzer, followed by remotely. Mr. Turner-Garrett-Bolter has been called already. Okay. Then next up, Shiba Namburi, is she here?

[05:23:50] Yeah, good evening. Good evening. Oh, I'm sorry. Honorable and respectable board members and chairperson, thank you very much for being patient to hear us. Due to these approvals of data centers, we are sandwiched with the data centers around us, all four sides.

[05:24:10] You guys are approving data centers where we are unable to breathe. We are unable to, you know, do any kind of activities. We are suffocated with your decisions. You need to consider our lives matters. Due to your decisions, we are unable to, our kids are in danger.

[05:24:30] We are not sure that things are happening in our community. Our community is going through thefts, and in the future, our kids may be abducted, or vandalisms may happen in our community. And I request board members to please come to our community, go through our community, walk in our community, and understand if you approve four sites, the data centers, how we are going to be impacted.

[05:25:04] These data centers are really making us not having safety, security, and sleeplessness. And we were waking up middle of the night due to the noise around us due to the data center's construction.

[05:25:20] And I'm here to oppose the hidden word application because unless until I protect myself, I cannot help others. In airplanes, they say that first you take the, you know, safety protocols.

[05:25:36] So I need to first support my community, my family, my kids, and my future, then supporting others. So I request every one of the board members to help us. Your sign matters a lot. Your signature matters a lot because the signature is having an authority.

[05:25:55] So we request you to sign. You are signing on a piece of paper, but you are signing on our future, on our hopes, on our lives. So I request every one of you, before you sign, please consider our lives, which matters a lot.

[05:26:15] Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Next up remotely is Mr. Tom Watson, followed by Susan Kapkart, followed by Anukriti Dishnuraya. Mr. Watson.

[05:26:32] Hello. Oh, there you are. Yes. Hi, my name is Tom Watson. I'm here to the Hidden Wood Assemblage. I'm a white woman who lives in Loudoun County. I currently live in Stirling, Virginia. My mother lives in Hiddenwood, and that's where I grew up.

[05:26:47] I lived in the 80s, 40s, 90s. Suffice to say, a lot has changed. My mother's house is in the middle of a data center construction zone, which just seemed to be a data center industrial park. And I don't mean by that. I know you guys look at a lot of maps, and the maps give you a bird's eye view, kind of a guide's eye view, but to understand the situation, you've got to imagine a human being navigating inside the map.

[05:27:10] To get to my mother's house, you have to drive through the data center industrial park So the human experience, the ground level reality is that one is completely surrounded by data centers. I've been going over the past two, I mean, for the past two years, it's been crazy. I've been going over there. There's been a couple years of data center construction followed by road construction to be followed by another year, more years of data construction.

[05:27:32] And don't take my word for it. Go see for yourself. Frankly, I think it's kind of ridiculous. Peterwood is not a residential neighborhood. The county does not provide water or sewage. The state does not maintain the road. It is not protected by a modern suburb design. I live in Sugar Land, which was built in the 70s, with a modern suburb design with, you know, limited-inches roads, curvy roads, and cul-de-sets that protect the residents from these types of things.

[05:27:57] I'll give you an example. When I get up in the morning, I walk out the door, across the street, what do I see? Well, I see the house across the street. My mother, when she looks across the street, she's going to see a data center. There's no other residential neighborhood like this in Loudoun Town, where you have one side, you have a road, you have a residential road, You have houses on one side and the other centers on the other side.

[05:28:19] I don't think there's anything like this exists. So I would urge you to please, you know, don't listen to me. Go see it for yourself. And, yeah, don't take my word for it. Go see it for yourself. That's all I have to say. I'm trying to be quick, and I want to thank everybody for their time.

[05:28:37] And, yeah, thank you for your time. Thanks, sir. Next up is Susan Kapkart, followed by Anakriti Dishnariya, Followed by Fantash Passuletti. Good evening, everybody.

[05:28:55] Nearly 30 years ago, my brother Frank Hardesty and his wife Angie bought a home in rural Loudoun County on the aptly named Hick Lane, where they planted a garden and began living a quiet and simple life. That quiet life has since been destroyed by encroaching industrial development and the lack of regard to past elected county officials to protect the residents of this country lane.

[05:29:18] Now, when I visit my brother, I have trouble even finding his house. no longer hidden by trees, by massive buildings, electrical stations, and construction. I'm horrified by the dystopian wasteland that surrounds this little piece of land. Zoning in the area changed after Hidden Wood Lane was built, clearly without consideration of the impact on the homeowners.

[05:29:41] Unlike other residential communities in the area, they're trapped without any buffer or even access to their homes other than through the industrial area. Through no fault of their own, these homeowners have lost their right to enjoyment of their property and stand also to lose the value of their homes, which may represent their entire life savings. They're living a nightmare, overwhelmed with anxiety of current situation and uncertainty of their futures. My brother and sister-in-law have suffered immeasurably over the last few years trying to find a way out of this Catch-22.

[05:30:15] How can county leaders justify encircling these homeowners with data centers and then refusing to give them an out? They won't be able to sell their homes. Who would want to live? Would you? County leaders have a responsibility to the residents at Hiddenwood Lane who have a fleeting opportunity to sell their land and recapture some of the prior homes of their homes rather than suffer devastating losses.

[05:30:39] This requested zoning change is fair and appropriate and minimally impacts, if at all, those who are resisting it. Please approve this zoning request so the homeowners of Hiddenwood Lane may finally start over before they can find some peace.

[05:30:58] Thank you so much. Thank you, ma'am. Next up is Anakriti Dishniraya, followed by Fantash Pasoleti, followed by Paiush Bishniraya. Anakriti has not called back in yet. I'm sorry, say that again?

[05:31:16] Anakriti has not called in yet. Okay, is it Fantash Pasoletti? Yes, I'll put it through now. Me? You're on, sir. Yes, thank you.

[05:31:31] Honorable Chair and respected Board of Supervisors, my name is Santosh Pasoletti. I'm in the Briarfield Estate. I bought this beautiful home some 20 years ago. So looking at this beautiful house, my sister decided to move from 20147 zip code to my community.

[05:31:54] Unfortunately, she happened to buy the house, which is 2454 Asheville Court, which is next to the proposed data center. And she is suffering with her chronic pulmonary disease and her lung capacity, her pulmonary fitness, is at 60%.

[05:32:14] So if the proposed data center construction starts, I have no words to describe how it is going to be. The air quality and the pollution, the construction and operation data center, which involves the vehicular traffic, the construction list, the potential emissions from, you know, the backup generators, all that is going to, in fact, already compromised lung capacity.

[05:32:43] Noise pollution, I don't want to, you know, repeat it again. My, you know, fellow residents have already, you know, spoken about it. Most importantly, what I would want, you know, stress upon is the mental and the emotional well-being of her. You know, she's already, you know, worried. Morning to evening, you know, she keeps on, you know, texting me.

[05:33:02] You know, she keeps on, you know, talking to, you know, high neighbors. You know, what is going to happen? You know, what is going to happen to my family? What is going to happen to my health? We all, you know, are remote workers. 24 by 7, you know, we work from home. And the pollution, the noise, the heavy toll on our emotional and, you know, mental well-being.

[05:33:27] is going to be impacted i sincerely understand the concern of the hidden field residents you know i empathize with them but we are going to be the future uh you know hidden field people you know kindly uh honorable chair and the board kindly reject uh the the the hidden field uh whatever Thank you, sir.

[05:33:55] Our final speaker is Dayush Bishnulaya. Hello, Madam Chairman. My name is Bishnulaya, and I'm a resident of Brightwood Estates. I strongly oppose the proposed land zone change for Hiddlewood.

[05:34:14] While I sympathize with the Hiddlewood Lane resilience concerns, in my opinion, this proposal seems directly driven by these data pillars and financial incentives we are offering more than genuine community needs. All communities similar to Briarwoods have lasted so many years faced ongoing concern challenges.

[05:34:36] Ask anybody in Ashpur for years without seeking to sell collectively. Approving this zoning would set a precedent for six to follow the suit. So Briarwoods' state will be the next time to collectively sell if we are forced into this situation.

[05:34:54] We are anyway going to be by three sides with the data center. Why are we here? Really, most of you voted for JK2 in the past, and you all were warned about this situation that time, but still decided to approve it.

[05:35:17] Why should we pay now for your mistakes? But this time, it is in your hands again. But you all know exactly what will happen next. You are going to be approving this all over again. The proffers which were offered when JK2 was up to Hiddenwood Lane, now we are hearing they are not sufficient and we are offering us better proffers.

[05:35:34] And I'm sure two years later we will hear those proffers were not enough. JK2 will come back to you seeking removing all those proffers because they don't need to do this anymore. And I'm sure they will suit what they are doing with Hiddenwood.

[05:35:49] they will make an offer to Briarwood Estate to sell collectively and we will be in front of you all over again by requesting this only. There are better ways to address their concerns. If they're really about traffic and construction, I'm sure county officials can implement and enforce opt-offers or other regulations to protect and give them a safe passage through risk lane.

[05:36:16] It's troubling that planning committee is an expert staff's recommendation. These recommendation experts prioritize community welfare but board of planning supervisor renewed advice which undermines my confidence in county officials approving this reasoning would prioritize financial gain over community sir sir i'm sir i'm sorry your time is up thank you madam chair i yield to gavel back to you thank you mr turner appreciate it supervisors on make

[05:36:47] a motion i move the board supervisors forward legy 2023-0070 hidden with assemblage cmap 2023-0004 to the september 17 2024 voice advisors business meeting for action motion is made by me and second by supervisor crony if my count is right we had somewhere between 80 and 90 speakers i do not remember this is my ninth year on the board i do not remember a um a a public hearing when one item

[05:37:23] had between 80 and 90 speakers i don't which speaks to so so much it speaks to the love of your community um the love of your neighborhood the the deep roots you have um and how difficult this item is. I think in the past, there have been supervisors who did not believe that data centers had a cost. They just believed data centers were a revenue driver. I think if nothing else,

[05:37:57] we should all come away tonight believing that as much as data centers have been good for tax rate and revenue, and they do, different data centers do participate in community activities, they have a cost. They have a cost when they're next to homes. Somebody said, I'm not sure who said it, but somebody said, you know, decisions made in this room.

[05:38:21] It didn't have to be by this board or the last board. You couldn't have been on the board 20 years ago, literally, because that's how long our comp plan had been before we updated. Decisions made by this board had consequences. And I don't, you know, I will defend, you know, decisions because, you know, I don't believe anybody sits on this dais to do anything but try to do the right thing.

[05:38:44] But what's clear is sometimes we don't. Sometimes we get it wrong. And then the question becomes, how do you fix it once we get it wrong? So we have a lot to do between now and a lot to think about between now and September 17th.

[05:39:00] I have a couple of questions I'd like to have staff do when we come back. First of all, is that a by-right neighborhood? Is that true? It was a by-right neighborhood. Wow. When we come back on the 17th, could we have, and I honestly don't know if we have time, Mr. Wirtz do a assessment on the on the property values of both these communities and if those property values have been in line with other neighborhoods or communities in Loudoun County so in other words I'm trying to see where the where the prop where the value of the homes are

[05:39:38] because there are a lot of statements that the data center has brought their home value down I don't I've not seen that in writing and I'd like to know that it would help me make decisions as far as what we're going to do next. So if that can be part of information we get between now and September 17th, I would appreciate that.

[05:39:59] I would also like to know, well, I'll come back because my time's almost up and I will have a closing, so I'll come back. Anybody else? Mr. Turner? Thank you, Madam Chair. I have for some time now considered my vote on the JK2 to be the worst vote I've made as a supervisor, and I want to personally apologize to the Hidden Wood Assembly residence.

[05:40:19] I drove down that lane. I saw where it was going to be built. I thought there was sufficient setback. I did not consider the construction, and it was a bad vote, and I really do apologize. I have an idea in my mind of what a solution might be.

[05:40:35] Supervisor Letourneau and I have talked, and we will continue to talk. He and I, I called him, and we both talked, and almost simultaneously we both said we need to make this Hidden Wood community whole whatever that is and how that's defined i am really struggling i find it difficult to believe that a data center is the answer to a data center um so it's a tough it really is tough it's a really tough one um and all i can do is promise you that matt and i are going to do our very very best and and the supervisor it's matt's district correct it is matt's district but i i know

[05:41:12] the whole board is wrestling with this one so we are going to we're going to really dig in and we will we will do our very best to come up with the best answer thank you mr crony okay thank you uh i just want to tell everybody thank you for coming out um i heard you i heard your passion i heard your um you know your concerns um this is clearly a quality of life issue for briarfield and hiddenwood and um i plan to visit both communities till i think um one resident mentioned

[05:41:48] come out walk the neighborhood see what's there personally so that's what I plan to do before September 17th I think that there is a solution that we can come up that would be both for would be good for both communities you know I think Hiddenwood you're too close to that JK2 we have to do something for you I don't like hearing that your kids can't get on the school bus safely. I don't like hearing about the hazards of your road and the safety issues. I don't like

[05:42:25] hearing that. And Briarfield, I want to see how close that data center is to you and your community. I'm very concerned about setbacks and environmental impacts and noise impacts and air pollution so I'm looking out for you I ran to help the residents of Loudoun County so you can count on me to come out and look at your community and talk with you and hear your concerns and hopefully we can come up with a solution that benefits both of you that would be

[05:43:04] what I would like to see and I thank you for coming out your passion was clear I heard your concerns and i plan to do my best to take care of both of you thank you mr kirster thank you madam chair i just want to thank everyone for coming out um it's a long night but uh well worth it a lot of really good points were made on all sides and all together i also want to thank the planning commission i don't think people realize how much work the planning commission has actually put in to this particular application they worked really really hard on it to get it to where it is to come to us and um there was a lot of proffers and a lot of work that was done with the applicant

[05:43:42] to get it where it is, and I think, honestly, it's in a lot better shape than a lot of applications that probably come to us, especially given the complexities of what is going on here, and I agree with Chair Randall that, you know, we don't always get it right.

[05:44:00] It's really hard, especially if you have nine people and they're split votes, and you look at the pros and the cons of every single thing that comes in, and so I just want to, for those people who are very angry about different decisions that were made in the past, you need to understand that these decisions are not come lightly.

[05:44:18] So I think those sorts of accusations should be checked because, quite frankly, not a single person on this dais wants to do the wrong thing. We're always trying to do the right thing for the community and for the people in the community, and there are a lot of pros and cons about all of that.

[05:44:33] So those honest comments were not helpful whatsoever. I will tell you that I have told the applicant and others that, you know, this is Supervisor Letourneau's district, I'm going to put a lot of weight in what he has to say in this position. It doesn't mean I would necessarily agree with him, but I think he also is working hard with the residents. I don't know if there's really any solution, unlike several people have said up here tonight, that we're going to make all people happy. Quite frankly, I think any decision on this is going to make some people upset and maybe splitting the baby a little bit on this, and it may not make either side happy. That's what they say the greatest compromise is

[05:45:12] when nobody's happy about it so it's a very difficult situation um we find ourselves in in a lot of ways it's the new kind of hitting the old we have a very older neighborhood here that's kind of you know a new industry has come in in the last 20 years it's grown up around you there was a decision made on jk2 which has made it difficult for them um and now of course the adjacent neighborhood is concerned and that's why i said right from the beginning this is about how can we make sure we prevent uh how can we make this neighborhood whole um and at the same time do what we can as if at all possible to ensure that the adjacent neighborhood is not impacted

[05:45:49] in the same way and that's why I think we need really need to look closely at this application to make sure that we put the maximum buffers in the trees I mean I appreciate the quite frankly the $100,000 for the tree area and and proffer that was made I think that honestly is a very very significant um um give so those are my thoughts thank you very much um the other thing i wanted to make sure i asked for before we come back is to know not what what what other uses the

[05:46:26] the the hidden wood property could have if we actually uh did the rezoning but what other uses can the hidden wood property have right now is what i'd like to know when we come back or before we come back so we can know that and those two questions i ask will really help guide decisions that I would make the value of homes and what else is possible would be two things that would be very helpful. The last thing I will say is I associate myself with Mr. Kirchner's comments that we don't always get it right. We don't always get it right. But we didn't get it right. And it may

[05:47:02] not be the we here. It may be we from 20 years back because it's a perpetual body. So you deal with the decisions of the past body. We didn't get it right, meaning boards in the past or this board. But I'm going to implore you to try not to turn on one another because you all didn't do anything wrong.

[05:47:23] Neither Hittinwood nor Briarfield, y'all didn't do anything wrong. And so, I mean, you all, I'm sure your kids go to school together, your birthday parties together and all kind of stuff. And so we understand the differences between the two neighborhoods and what's going on.

[05:47:41] We understand that. But don't let the mistakes of the board tear your communities apart and put them against each other. Because that's not helpful. And whether it was passports or not, we will take responsibility and we will try to fix this.

[05:48:03] but um it's hard to watch community against community because of the decisions that the board made so okay well thank you in 15 minutes it'll be tomorrow yes i know that thank you mr crony all right i um i got you um i made the motion um supervisor to crony second the motion and by the way i will be working really hard with mr letourneau as well because as i always say you are my constituents as well you know you're his everyone's my constituents so you're my

[05:48:42] constituents as well and I take that very seriously all right all the people say aye any opposed that motion will pass um 702 and we will see you all back here um in September thank you very much supervisors we are adjourned

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