Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Business Meeting, Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Place: Board Room, First Floor, Government Center, 1 Harrison Street SE, Leesburg, Virginia
Length: 5h 38m (video)
Official meeting video (county, Granicus): https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7887
Meeting page: https://loudoun.granicus.com/player/clip/7887

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 2026-10-11. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:04:34] Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the March 4th Board of Supervisors business meeting. This is going to be an interesting process. The National Association of Counties decided to have their legislative Hill Day starting at 3.30 this afternoon. So we have several supervisors who are on Capitol Hill talking to our federal legislators.

[00:04:54] And as you can see, what's wrong with this picture? We do not have a quorum. We need five people physically present to have a quorum. There are things that we can do on the agenda that don't require a quorum, and so we are going to go through those things that we can do without a quorum, and then we will recess until we have a quorum.

[00:05:11] We have two supervisors, I believe, that are on the way now, and we will have a quorum probably in the neighborhood at 5 o'clock, and then we'll be able to pick up the meeting as per normal. So I'd like to call to order the meeting, the March 4th, 2025 Loudoun County Board of Supervisors business meeting.

[00:05:28] this room has a hearing loop. If you need hearing assistance, switch your hearing aids to the telecoil mode. If you need a headset, we have those available as well. Please see the clerk to request one. Can I do the pledge, Mr. Amstead? I can do the pledge. And words of inspiration I have tonight. Supervisor Luterno did not plan on being here, so he asked me if I could do those.

[00:05:51] I was wandering around, as I am wont to do, on some historical documents the other day, and i came across this quote by thomas jefferson in 1785 and the prelude to the quote is that jefferson feared that it would only be a matter of time before the american system of government degenerated into a form of elective despotism so here is his quote 1785 remember the constitution was 1789 mankind soon may learn to make interested uses of every right and power which they possess or may assume the public money and public liberty intended to have been deposited with three branches

[00:06:29] of magistrate but found inadvertently to be in the hands of only one will soon be discovered to be sources of wealth and dominion to those who hold them the assembly should look forward to a time and not not a distant one when a corruption in this as in the country from which we derive our origin will have seized the heads of government and be spread by them through the body of the people when they will purchase the voices of the people and make them pay the price. Human nature is the same on every side of the Atlantic and will be alike influenced by the same causes.

[00:07:03] The time to guard against corruption and tyranny is before they shall have gotten hold of us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered. And then I found this quote by Felix Frankfurter, a famous Supreme Court Justice. Trample the law for your own ends and the time will come when you'll be trampled under someone else's ends. Please join me in the Pledge.

[00:07:33] Thank you all. Let's see what we go to now very quickly. Are there any organizational updates from any members on the dais right now? Don't think we have any. Voice for cause if I could ask our Turner. I'm sorry. Sorry. Yes.

[00:08:05] didn't put my light on fast enough for you okay trying to help you out here thank you very much i appreciate it anything you can do to eat up time is much appreciated uh last week thursday uh nvrc northern virginia regional uh commission met which uh myself and supervisor glass sit on we had a special guest of uh congressman don buyer who gave an update on capitol hill in regards to uh some of the actions that are being taking place right now regarding uh federal employees uh there will be a um meeting coming up a resource meeting i should

[00:08:44] say uh coming up on march 8th from noon to 5 at wakefield high school uh to help our federal workers and and contractors that are that are being affected with all the uh the changes or mandates that are coming uh from the white house um so again march 8th noon to 5 at wakefield high school all are invited even if you don't do not live in fairfax county who is a federal worker or contractor that is being affected with all the the the the changes that are that are that are happening there will be a community forum and and resource fair so a lot of resources there

[00:09:23] if needed also we talked about you know sharing continue to share resources because you know of course what's right for Loudoun is not might not be appropriate for Prince William and Arlington or Fairfax County but we're all going to continue to share resources share information and and share ideas as the the days weeks and the months continue to to go through during this time in our country and our federal workforce and contractor workforce.

[00:09:58] And then, I'll share in regards to NACO, I attended NACO on Saturday and Sunday, and we had a lot of different guest speakers come, and I will not share all my notes here, unless the Vice Chair Turner wants me to, but I will make sure to share my notes with all my colleagues because we all sit on different committees and attend different breakout sessions, and I always find these meetings very informative with a lot of information and good contacts that we can reach out to.

[00:10:28] And, of course, we share them with our county staff here as well. So, thank you. Thank you very much, Supervisor Sainz. For those of you who don't know, the National Association of Counties is really considered to be the voice for America's 3,069 counties. When you talk about local government, you're talking about NACO.

[00:10:46] And the counties are all represented. members of Congress, the president's office, anyone who wants to talk about what's actually going on, facts on the ground, they turn to NACO. So it's a pretty powerful, pretty important organization. They're having their legislative conference in Washington now, and then the annual conference and the new president will take over at NACO in June.

[00:11:08] Our voice for a cause tonight is 100 women strong. If I could ask all of you to come to the podium and introduce yourself, that would be great. Welcome. Hello. Thank you so much for having us here tonight.

[00:11:24] We really appreciate it. My name's Pam Ray. I'm the Managing Director for 100 Women Strong, and I'm going to have these lovely members here with me. I'll let them introduce themselves. Good evening. My name is Carol Barb. Hi, I'm Jessica Wood.

[00:11:42] Hi, I'm Fair UER. Hi, I'm Michelle Rosati. And I'm Jenny Crubb. Welcome all. Pam, if you could describe the mission of 100 Strong, where'd you come from, how'd you start, and how'd you get where you are?

[00:12:00] Sure. Well, very simply, our mission is to improve the lives of the residents of Loudoun County. And we do that through thoughtful and strategic support of our nonprofits in the community and Loudoun County Public Schools.

[00:12:18] In 2008, in December, our founder and president, Karen Schaufeld, a local philanthropist, had an epiphany. She likes to tell the story that she was in the shower when she was thinking about this. But she really wanted to help the county and knew that she wanted to do this, but how could it be better?

[00:12:40] She knew she had some friends who wanted to help, too, and there had to be more people who wanted to really help right here at home. And she thought, well, if we would all kind of combine our thoughts, our finances, our passion, couldn't we make a really big difference?

[00:12:59] So she decided to start a group called 100 Women Strong. and she did that in December 2008, and we became a component fund of the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties. We're with them. They helped us get started, and she got 12 of her friends to join her on her way to 100. So flash forward to now, 2025, we are up to 75 members. Each one makes a substantial yearly contribution, tax deductible contribution,

[00:13:35] and we collect that money and we do competitive grants. We do nonprofit initiatives and we put it back into the county. So with 75 members, we've grown to be able to make quite a substantial impact here and everyone loves, we all love doing that. And do you contribute directly? Do you have grant process directly or do you work through community foundation we work through the community foundation yep so you basically provide the seed money through your member donations and then they put that into their do you have is it restricted money or is it unrestricted money uh it's all

[00:14:11] it's all for 100 women strong it is restricted and we make all of the decisions for who it who it goes to so it's your mark money it's just it's just administered through community foundation correct i see i see um for anyone not familiar with the non-profit community obviously money is the life's blood of any non-profit and um the cool thing about this is one of the things you'll find in non-profits very often is non-participating boards so people will be on the non-profit board and the the standard rule if it's a tough board is five thousand dollars annually give or get you either got to donate five thousand you got to go out and find somebody to donate

[00:14:51] $5,000. But non-profit boards are notorious for being 35-member boards, and they raise $1.398 every month. You know, they don't participate at all. It sounds to me like what you've done is you've basically taken that fundraising process off the shoulders of a lot of non-profits, and you're doing that yourselves through your networking. Yeah. Each member gives a gift of $10,000 a year. There you go. And we have members who participate in every meeting we have. They love everything we have members who just write their check and they know that decisions will be

[00:15:24] vetted properly and discussed and and good decisions will be made uh so and it's nice not to have to do any fundraising frankly so yeah i'll be honest so ten thousand ten thousand dollars per member correct 75 members 750 000 a year correct that is a substantial contribution to the loudon county non-profit community yeah well um and some of that we have different buckets it goes in we an endowment fund we have something called our long-term impact fund where we look for projects allowed and things that we see in need that maybe hasn't been started yet we did a backpack coalition

[00:16:03] way back before that had really kicked into gear we'd like to get it started feed it for a few years and then have it spread its wings we did the community school initiative with loudon county public schools we started that in sterling elementary with one school one after school coordinator lcps watched us they wanted to partner with us we founded we funded something differently a school social worker and now we have the community school in six title one schools and that's kind of on its own we're still following that for what we could still do to help

[00:16:38] So we really, you know, really, these members just love Loudoun County and want to help. And we're so fortunate here in Loudoun to have such a wonderful nonprofit community. I mean, we have great nonprofits here. So, you know, whatever we can do to help them, we like to do that.

[00:16:59] I'm going to put you on the spot here. Anybody can answer. Can you think of one compelling story that occurred by virtue of your philanthropic intent? One personal compelling story. What?

[00:17:14] Oh, yeah. Everybody, I've never asked that before, but I could have bet you a dollar. Somebody's going to go, oh, yeah. We're losing our nonprofits to thriving, and that was the most important. Yeah, so back during COVID, we have an annual process for grants, and, you know, you fill out a letter of intent first, we move some on, they fill out a grant application.

[00:17:36] So before COVID, we had already told a group of nonprofits, hey, we want to see your grant application. And then COVID happened. And we knew we were in a state of emergency, and we had to change things. Luckily, we can be nimble, and we can make that decision. So we said, we've got to stop our regular grant process.

[00:17:55] We are instead going to do emergency grants for Loudoun nonprofits. And we started a monthly process for nonprofits we had granted to before. There are many of them, but we knew they had been vetted. And we had them fill out emergency applications.

[00:18:12] and we did that for 10 sessions and so and we know that some non-profits you know we got that money to them quickly sure you know faster than they could through you know the government or anything and we know that a few of them held on because of us very good excellent that's a great story um so how can people help how can people get involved what what do we do oh join us come join us i mean it's it's a huge give we know that for sure but what some of our members love is

[00:18:45] you're putting that money in and all of a sudden your 10 000 grows to a grant reception where you're giving out six hundred thousand dollars to loudon non-profits and instead of helping one or two you're helping 51 in our county so it's that that power of combined giving and we have just everybody's just very kind and wonderful and genuine and down to earth.

[00:19:12] And it's just, it's a great feeling. So if you can go onto our website, 100womenstrong.org, and that's all spelled out, 100womenstrong.org. It's words. Just words, just words.

[00:19:28] Or email me, I'm Pam, at 100womenstrong.org. But, yeah, or just follow us and support us. Tell your friends about us. Let people know. And here's the thing. We will stop at 100 members.

[00:19:45] So there's a little bit of little urgency. We're at 75. You might want to, you know. We have two men. And we, yeah, I was just about to say, we do have a few. Does everybody know their number? We have a couple of men, so men are also welcome to join them.

[00:20:01] Yes, yes, we have a few men, you can have a corporate membership with we know one designated person who's representing that but it feels wonderful to do what we do very good thank you all very much we appreciate Carol's got one more things want to add last year we gave out six hundred and thirty nine thousand dollars to 51 nonprofits but year-to-date since the organization began we gave out over four point six million dollars to our nonprofit community so we are definitely a a powerful combined giving organization, and we're so proud of that.

[00:20:37] Thank you for having us here. Thank you for all you do. Thank you so much for having us. Mr. Hempstreet, do you have some comments for tonight? Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do. I have four comments for this afternoon.

[00:20:53] The first is that the application process for Loudoun County's annual tourism grant program is underway. As you know, the grant program is designed to support local tourism events and initiatives that bring tourists to Loudoun County. Nonprofits, municipalities, and businesses located in Loudoun are invited to apply for fiscal year 2026 funding.

[00:21:15] The deadline is April 4th. A pre-application webinar will be held this Friday, March 7th. Details and a link to the application are available at loudoun.gov slash grant opportunities. Second, the Commissioner of the Revenue is accepting applications from local charitable nonprofit organizations that are seeking an exemption from real estate and or personal property taxes.

[00:21:36] Most charitable nonprofit organizations are not automatically exempt from local property taxes in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The filing of an application with the Commissioner of the Revenue is the necessary first step in obtaining an exemption. More information is online at loudon.gov slash tax relief.

[00:21:53] Third, nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Signatures of Loudon Design Excellence Awards. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Signatures of Loudoun program honors exceptional architectural, interior, and public space designs in the county. Nominations are now open through April 7th.

[00:22:10] More information is online at biz.loudoun.gov. And then finally, with a time change coming this Sunday, Loudoun fire officials remind everyone that when you set your clocks ahead one hour, that you also check the batteries in your smoke alarms.

[00:22:26] Most deadly fires happen at night. Smoke alarms give you an early warning, and that gives first responders a better chance to mitigate fire damage. Loudoun County offers free smoke alarm installations. Find out more at loudoun.gov slash smoke alarms. That's my comments for this afternoon, Mr. Chair.

[00:22:43] Thank you, Mr. Amstreet. We are going to recess now until one more warm body that's supposed to be on this dais walks through that door. So I'm going to call the meeting to recess, but stand by. I'll give you a two-minute warning when we get our first supervisor to walk in, and we will reconvene. Thank you.

[00:23:23] are in recess thank you ladies and gentlemen we are uh reconvened out of recess we now have a quorum

[00:44:58] of five um and i will pick up the agenda where i left off are there any additions or deletions to the agenda hearing none um the proposed consent agenda is as follows item 1a enhancements to the length of service award program for fire and rescue volunteers item 2a 2024 agriculture and forestal district program annual report item 2b 2024 historic district review committee annual report item 2c 2024 heritage commission annual report item 2d proposed on street parking restrictions on pleasant valley road and wade drive item 3a appointments confirmations item 4

[00:45:37] administrative items report for march 4th 2025 item 5 adoption of tax year 2025 resolution for personal property tax relief item six pcor 2025 0005 atlantic boulevard proffer amendment public hearing waiver item seven legy 2024 0033 loudon county public schools student welcome center is there a motion to adopt the consent agenda supervisor sayings is moved is there a second

[00:46:11] seconded by supervisor to crony all in favor please say aye aye any opposed that motion will pass five zero four with supervisor which a randall supervisor brissman supervisor glass and supervisor letourneau off the dais um that motion is passed uh let's see where we are here um supervisor crony will now read us into closed session second closed session item second yeah

[00:46:46] thank you vice chair turner i move that the board of supervisors recessed this public meeting and entered to close session pursuant to section 2.2-3711 a3 of the code of virginia to consider acquisition uh disposition of parcels of property for a potential fire and rescue station in the sterling election district thank you is there a second second second by supervisor kirschner

[00:47:15] all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed that motion will pass 504 we are in closed session

[01:08:33] thank you vice chair turner i move that the closed session be adjourned and that the board of supervisors reconvenes this public meeting and that the minutes of the public meeting should reflect that no formal action was taken in the closed session and further move that the resolution certifying the closed session be adopted and reflected in the minutes of this public meeting thank you uh is there a second second by supervisor um all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed that motion will carry 504 please affirm supervisor crony affirm affirm affirm affirm thank

[01:09:11] you um we are now at a close session and what i would like to do is go to um let's go to item Number 11, which is the response to the board member initiative for improved access to early

[01:09:35] voting, if we could have staff come forward. Good evening. Good evening. Jackie's going to do the

[01:10:12] presentation, so while she's bringing this up, this is a response to a BMI that the board initiated several months ago for improved access to early voting. So I'll ask Jackie to quickly go through this and then we'll be happy to take your questions.

[01:10:30] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Aaron. We are joined here tonight with Ricky Keech and Judy Brown from Elections and Voter Registrations. And as Aaron mentioned, this is a response to a BMI adopted by the Board on October 16, 2024, two direct staff to identify early -- identify locations in election districts where there are currently no voting locations.

[01:10:56] and this is in the Algonquian, Ashburn, Broad Run, and Little River election districts. This graphic shows where the existing early voting locations are cited in the Catoctin election district, the Carver Senior Center in Percival, in the Dulles district, the Dulles South Recreation and Community Center, in the Leesburg election district, the Office of Elections and Voter Registration, this is located at 750 Miller Drive, and in the Sterling election district the claude war recreation and community center the county is under some time

[01:11:36] constraint as the submission deadline to the office of the attorney general for these locations is june 30th 2025 absentee voting in person is required to be available starting 45 days before election day and the board must establish any additional voter satellite offices with exact locations and obtain concurrence from the state 105 days prior to election day Staff initiated research by first analyzing all current county-owned or leased facilities.

[01:12:08] Secondary options were Loudoun County Public Schools properties. And the last option was to identify potential lease opportunities. Staff considered factors including locations closer to transit networks, population density, and convenience to shopping centers, errands, and conveniences such as child care.

[01:12:29] So moving on to the sites that staff has selected for potential locations. In the Algonquian, staff presents the Loudoun County University Campus Commons. This is located at 44927 George Washington Boulevard.

[01:12:46] University Commerce Center is located north of Route 7, south of George Washington Boulevard and east of Riverside Parkway. There is availability for 1,500 square feet of first floor rental space, and there is ample parking and ADA-compliant restrooms. As indicated on the map, the site is located along an existing transit route, which is Route 70, the Leesburg to Sterling Route.

[01:13:10] In the Ashburn Election District, staff presents the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center. This is projected to open in the summer of this year. The site is located at 21105 Coopers Hawk Drive, which is located south of the Greenway and north of Broadlands Boulevard.

[01:13:28] This location is preferable due to its existing connections to the county's fiber network, which supports operational efficiency. And there are also two transit routes that serve this site to the Ashburn Metro Station. A potential in the broad run, staff has identified first floor space within Loudon Station.

[01:13:48] On Central Station Drive, Loudon Station is located east of the Greenway and west of Shellhorn Road. And as the board is familiar, the Department of Economic Development is located an office space in Loudoun Station. And this site is, of course, served by Metro and other transit options.

[01:14:05] Staff has identified two potential sites in Little River. First, the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority property located at 22377 Belmont Ridge Road. The site is located west of North Star Boulevard.

[01:14:24] And staff has also identified a potential for first floor leasing space in Brambleton Town Center in Brambleton Plaza. The site is located south of the Brambleton Park areas along North Star Boulevard, south of Ryan Road, and west of Belmont Ridge Road.

[01:14:40] Staff will note that there may not be anything available right now for lease, but there is potential for future space in the future. And staff has identified space at Dulles Town Center, and we feel like this could be a good location because it could possibly serve the Algonquian District, the Sterling District, and the Broad Run District.

[01:15:03] The site is a viable option, and there is ample space of approximately 2,000 square feet. staff recommends the board discuss the potential site and identify one preferred site for the Little River Election District, and staff will present the item at a future board public hearing to finalize locations, and I'd be happy to answer any questions. Thank you very much.

[01:15:29] Supervisor Tacroni, would you like to start, since this is your district that we have an action item related to okay yeah thank you vice chair turner so um i'm wondering um if we looked at hanson um the lodge um location because you you mentioned the preference for county-owned sites so i'm just kind of wondering if we looked at that so supervisor to crony um while the lodge is a county-owned site it's a site that's heavily used for rentals and so from that perspective

[01:16:04] as well as kind of it's it's one big room area um that we really can't make internal changes to to to suit the needs of um voter registration that wasn't really a preferable site and as i said that that site is very heavily rented as income for the county okay and the brambleton town center you mentioned that you don't have anything right now right so would it it makes sense to put that as a location if we don't have an option right now as far as where

[01:16:43] we would recommend the board pursue the other option at this at this point okay okay and one other so that option is close i think to the other locations yes they're close by they're close by yeah did did you look in in aldi or at birchwood i'm just trying to figure out if you looked where it would be further away from the other options like further away from the ashburn wrecking community center so as you as you're well aware supervisor to crony that area is very difficult

[01:17:22] to find rental space in or space that is appropriate that meets the requirements for this type of space where there's enough square footage as well so staff did a thorough review of all the lease space available in the county and there was really nothing that met the criteria well enough um so you know the more populated areas of your district are where we have more options okay all right well i i'm fine with and this would be for two two to three years

[01:17:55] right um you know so we could potentially change it if something came up um certainly we would want The reason that staff's recommending doing two or preferably three-year leases is so that we have certainty about the space.

[01:18:13] Potential landlords are also more willing to rent for longer periods of time for this kind of thing. And that would also allow more staging and for the elections office to do the training and storage and other things that they would need to sustain multiple locations.

[01:18:31] Okay, but you're recommending, Judy, that we move forward now, that we don't hold off because time is getting closer to when we would need these locations determined, right, for the November?

[01:18:48] Well, any decision that you make needs to be made sooner than later if the idea is to put them in place for November. the office of elections has there are some of the sites that we support fully the ashford rec center is one of them simply because it's similar to the sites that we currently use they have the capacity for us to have lots of voters come through and have a lot of check-ins being in a county site we feel we have more security we have the county network in there

[01:19:27] making them easier to do with other sites we've never leased a site before and i don't know that anyone else in the state that i'm aware of has done a lease on a site for early voting and so we would kind of hope that the board would possibly consider maybe not entering into a lot of leases but to give us a chance to enter maybe into one to see how it's going to function and how because i think one of the things that we have to think about for those of you who have come

[01:20:04] over to our office you see the people campaigning outside you see the signs and my concern will be in a lease space and other businesses around the impact it's going to have on those other businesses and what we might be faced with uh in trying to do our early voting in those locations however the decision to choose the sites or pick the sites is entirely yours and the office of election is ready and able to go forward with whatever you choose okay yeah thank you for that

[01:20:41] thank you uh supervisor um thank you mr chair um jackie i think in your description of all the sites there was only one you mentioned as already being equipped with uh county fiber is that the which please remind me which state that was and how essential is that that was the future ashburn rec center and that is probably the reason that we chose that site out of all

[01:21:15] the other sites that we looked at and that won't be ready until this summer i believe of summer of this year yes so if there were any delay in getting it up and running it would not work for this year right because we have to identify the sites by june 30th of this year okay all right um and none none of the others have county fiber none of the other viable sites

[01:21:47] right and what kind of retrofitting do we need to do do we need county fiber i assume that's a huge plus and okay so judy and ricky are nodding their heads so we need county fiber so so if i if i could supervisor omstad just um on your first point about the ashburn rec center right now there's no delay being reported so i would like to just note that we have discussed this with both prcs and dtci so right now we think it's viable um and number two on the on the aspect

[01:22:22] of internet connection anytime the county leases a site for county operations that is one of the things that we need to do to ensure that the site is fully connected within our network so i would say we are not unfamiliar with having to do that work for leased locations for any of our county operations so from that perspective this would really be no different than bringing any county operation into a lease location and as you know we have probably 50 plus lease locations at this point for the county should we thanks aaron should we be at all concerned about tariffs and their

[01:23:01] impact on our building schedules that would probably be better answered by dtci i have not had that conversation with them um as it pertains to this particular project and building out spaces for voting i don't help we don't have any indication that we would be held up at all okay thank you thank you uh supervisor saints thank you vice chair turner thank you ricky and Judy and Judy good to see you again we're making this a common common thing all right um so correct

[01:23:37] me if it's staff recommendation that we first look at county buildings first and then yes you know to miss McCullin's point we do definitely obviously have a lot of leases so it's we're no stranger to getting in and doing the the work that needs to be done for a lease location to make it work for our network connectivity and security and stuff, so I don't think I have any issues there, but I'm ex-Duty and Ricky, out of the options that are listed, do you have any preferred preferences?

[01:24:14] Thank you, Mr. President Sainz. It's good to see you again, too, and we'll be back Monday. Three meetings in a row, I think? Yeah. So, you know, in reviewing it, again, we want to thank the RPM team for doing a phenomenal job. We did a lot of touring, a lot of visiting, a lot of looking around. Operationally, our opinion right now is that Ashburn Senior Center is kind of a no-brainer.

[01:24:35] I mean, Ashburn Rec Center. We own it. It's done. I mean, it's easy. We've already spoken with Steve Torpy, and he kind of planned on it. I think logistically and to help take weight off of the other sites and to add capacity, the other site that makes the most sense immediately is University Center because it's a very heavily populated area, and that would put all the sites approximately seven to eight miles apart, Which is probably a great distance. The other two sites are certainly viable, but they are about three miles from the Ashburn Rec Center Yeah, and so for the University site that would be that could serve Algonquian Ashburn

[01:25:11] Broad Run you'd be picking up one Loudon you'd be picking up University Center some Lansdowne probably Okay, that's right at Riverside. So that's Broad Run, Ashburn. Yeah, Broad Run and yeah It's I think I think you could throw in a little bit of Leesburg to a little bit, but Yeah, we could see a lot of Lansdowne people going that way from down Riverside.

[01:25:30] Okay. All right. And then, Ms. McCullin, just to make sure I heard you correctly, right now the Ashburn Rec Center is moving in the right direction. It looks like it will be open on time and it would meet the requirements for our Board of Elections.

[01:25:46] We believe so. It's supposed to open this summer. Okay. And so as an opinion of all four of you, whoever wants to answer this, do you think, you know, hearing from what Ricky just said, would you be open? Would you have any heartburn if we just did just those two for this year and re-evaluate down the road?

[01:26:08] So from staff's perspective, the reason we presented all of these options is because the direction was to see if we could locate one in at least every district that didn't have it. So however far the board wants to go, staff will facilitate that. I think we agree with the elections office that the locations that are kind of central and University Center Commons is very central would be great starting locations.

[01:26:35] We've kind of done some pre-negotiation with landlords. We know we have some willing landlords. They also understand what type of activity is going to happen here. So, you know, to the point that was made earlier, we will have to kind of see how these lease sites work but they do know that it would be an election site um so we think we've got some some good options all right thank you thank you uh supervisor luterno thank you so i don't quite recall the direction being as specific about one in every district i think that's overkill i mean all you have to do is look at this map the districts aren't equal in terms of their

[01:27:13] distance and size and access so having one in every district it's just i think that's overkill I was going to make the same point that Loudoun Station, Ashburn Rec, and like MVRPA are three miles apart from each other. So those are all really close. I think what Elections Office just suggested makes a lot more sense. Ashburn Rec Center, absolutely no-brainer. And then if there's one other that kind of covers a gap, that would make sense to me. I think, I don't want to speak for Little River, but the Della Salle site is in close proximity to a lot of that population.

[01:27:50] and then the Ashburn Rec would be kind of the north side of that district where we kind of have a gap to me is actually more further west and I know there's struggles trying to find a facility that could handle it I don't know if Middleburg or something like that but that's more what I would probably be interested in if there was something else we were looking at but to me we got to look at what's the distance for a resident to get to one of these sites you know and if if it's not that far if it's a 10-minute drive I don't think that's a problem I think where it's become a problem is you know some of these for some residents it's a lot further than that um

[01:28:27] so that's kind of where my head is at looking at certainly ashburn wreck absolutely right in the middle county facility makes all sense and then maybe like one other like university center like like they mentioned but i agree with mr saints i don't i don't think we need to go go wild and get ourselves potentially overboard and in some difficult situations i don't really like having to lease a lot of sites you got to remember we have to staff all this too like it's it's not the easiest thing for them to do i'm sure they can do it we tell you to do it i have no doubt you'll do it but it's it's it's a strain um and you know it's a lot to cover so um let's you know

[01:29:06] let's let's be smart about kind of how we proceed thank you supervisor kershner thank you uh vice chair and thank you judy and your team and staff for putting this together so um i'm going to approach my questioning here a little bit different given um two supervisors that preceded me in their comments because if we're going to put them in every district to me that was like okay it's it is about how far people are going to drive it's about making an ease and i look at the catoctin district and you could fit every single other district in the catoctin district so my argument

[01:29:39] was going to be well we need two voting places in the catoctin district but but i mean i'm not necessarily saying we has that number one been considered in terms of geographic um and i know that's not specifically what you're looking at here but i see there are multiple potential places in the catoctin district have we settled on one at least at this point so the catoctin district already has the carver i understand that but on the map it says potential voting places franklin carver and then lovitzel community center that's what the map says i just

[01:30:14] wanted to make sure i understand it i know that's not part of the motion and i know we've had carver and i know we've had some programming problems there i have we dealt with those or we we we have not okay he's shaking his head over there so i guess as part of this my my um because i'm focusing specifically on the catoctin district since that's the district i represent um as far as the early voting location i'm a little concerned that people who live in lovetsville i mean i i actually ran some of this catocton heights is 27 28 miles uh let's see where is i i actually had that here

[01:30:54] luckett's lawton heights is about the first place from louden heights is about 17 miles to perseville lost corner cover is about 17 to 20 miles carnada preserve is about 16 miles obviously almost none of the other districts have those kind of distances i'm not suggesting we have to have two sites i'm thinking though at some point we may want to consider that that might be a little bit to take on now. But my question is, I think it would be a mistake not to have it in Percival or have we settled on that. And that's just what I wanted to know. I know this is a little abroad of this item, but it is in the item in terms of potential. Do we know the answer?

[01:31:31] So if I'm understanding your question, just to kind of, sorry, to kind of go back, what we were most focused on with responding to this BMI was trying to find a location in the districts that didn't have an early location already we certainly can identify other locations in areas where the travel to try to cover some more of the geographic area um i will say it's really challenging in the catoctin district kind of like it is in the western part of little river district with finding space that is appropriate for this most of our facilities that are located

[01:32:09] in that area are just really very popular and very heavily programmed, and so it's difficult for us to make space for the voting functions there. So can I -- I know I'm out of time, but can I ask one very brief?

[01:32:25] So have we already identified the Carver Center as the early voting center right now? Is that the plan? Yeah, it's -- it's already in -- Okay. Yes, that's in the ordinance. Yeah. Could we, as part of this motion -- I know it's the second question. I was going to ask a friendly. Yeah. of this sorry part of this motion asked to ask for the staff to go look at the potential of lovitzville as a secondary location could talking given the geographic just to come back and report to us the feasibility of that we can certainly look at at lovitzville some more are you are you referring i'm sorry are you referring specifically to our um our facilities in

[01:33:05] lovitzville or just that's one of the locations that's recommended here yes that's the uh it is it's uh sorry i just went out i think i actually have a map here it was the community center up there was one of the potential locations that's all i would ask that as a friendly i don't know just to look at that as an option we can uh we're about to make the motion so we'll handle it go ahead i think we're ready for motion uh thank you vice chair turner um and you know what i'm the motion we make is is has been actually um approved by uh supervisor briskman who's not here today

[01:33:44] and this is her BMI and obviously one of the locations that I'm going to make the motion on is in her district, but she's supportive of this motion. I move that the Board of Supervisors select Loudoun County University Campus Commons in the Algonquin Election District, the future Ashburn Recreation Community Center in the Ashburn Election District as potential early voting satellite offices for the election districts currently lacking such a facility and direct staff to negotiate potential leases for the sites selected, obviously being the Loudoun County University Campus Commons, if applicable,

[01:34:21] with a preference for lease terms of two to three years to optimize costs and ensure consistent community access. I further move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to schedule a future public hearing to amend chapter 209 of the codified ordinance of Loudoun County to include additional, these additional satellite election offices. Moved by Supervisor Sainz, seconded by Supervisor Targona, opening comments, Supervisor Sainz.

[01:34:47] - Thank you, Vice Chair Turner. As I said before I made the motion, Supervisor Brisman, who was the originator of this BMI, she is supportive of this motion. You heard from our staff, they are supportive of these two locations as well, after doing their extensive research, and thank you for doing that.

[01:35:04] With the other potential locations, I think this does make sense. We have the Ashburn Rec and Community Center, which would mirror, because we currently do early voting, out of the Clodmore Community Center. We do early voting out of the Dulles Community Center as well, so that just matches as a county facility.

[01:35:23] And then, of course, we have, and it's essentially located to a few districts. And then, of course, we have the Loudoun County University Commons Campus, which is an Algonquian district, but again, centrally located. That can cover, I think, three election districts pretty well, and we know that we have leases around the county, so this is nothing new to us our team they can go in and get it properly served set up for for servicing so hopefully we can support this and add some more voting sites to our to for our constituents when it's voting time thank you. Thank you Supervisor Sainz Supervisor Tucroni. Yeah thank you Vice Chair Turner. So I'm supporting this

[01:36:01] motion the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is that location is only 3.4 miles away from the ashburn recreation and community center and the brambleton town center is only 4.2 miles away from the ashburn recreation and community center and aldi largely goes to the dull south recreation and community center so the only area i would say if we're going to look at something in the west i would say we should look at the little river district in the west

[01:36:38] But I don't think that's something to do at this time. But that area is unserved in the western part of the Little River District. But I'm happy to support this motion because I think the two sites that were presented in Little River are very close to the Ashburn Recreation and Community Center, which will be an early voting location.

[01:37:00] Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Kershner. Thank you. I might ask for a friendly, not necessarily to create a location, but for staff as part of this motion for staff to look at the feasibility of both Supervisor Trucroni's kind of unserved area, as well as in the middle, you said Middleburg area, correct?

[01:37:19] As well as the Lovetsville area because of the large geographic regions and feasibility of a site for that for future voting given the geographic. With respect, I would not support that as a friendly. Want to make it as an amendment? i would make it as a yeah separate motion or amendment okay and you're moving an amendment to the effect of what you just said staff do you understand what the emotion was what you're asking is for us to also explore feasibility of additional sites in the western portion of the little river district focusing close to middleburg and then the northern portion of the catoctin district around lovisville for future sites correct is there a second to the amendment

[01:37:58] seconded by supervisor umstock thank you uh we are voting on the amendment any comment on the amendment supervisor letourne so just to be clear though so what the amendment would do is ask for the feasibility study we are not forwarding those to public hearing for execution this year i'm asking staff though because i want to make sure they have staff has no identified sites so we would take this as direction to go and do some additional study of those areas to see if we can identify sites i would just add that at this point in time that would likely be for perhaps not this

[01:38:34] november but a future election future election and this is really just my clock should probably be running um just for future analysis kind of thing um and then we're you know the base motion is just moving forward those two sites okay with that with that clarification which i i think was your intent i'm just making sure uh i will support thank you uh super president thank you the reason why i didn't support it and you know I'll find I'll support it you know just we can get the motion done and move along but I think we when we had our you know the electoral board come and have discussion and stuff the the numbers don't show a

[01:39:11] lot of early voting out in that area so to me it's doesn't make sense to do that but you know if we were studying it they'll come back and not not do make it happen so I'll support the motion thanks any other comments on the amendment motion. Okay, the motion is to amend to include the base motion of the two sites that Supervisor Sainz recommended that was seconded by Supervisor Tacroni and to add in a future analysis of potential two sites out in Western Loudoun for staff to go investigate and report back at some

[01:39:45] point in the future. All those in favor of the amendment say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will carry 1 2 3 6 that motion will carry 6 0 3 that's not right is it 1 2 3 4 5 6 yeah it is and now to the base motion which is to recommend the two sites that Supervisor Sainz recommended that staff recommended everybody clear on that any other discussion on the base motion all those in

[01:40:19] favor of the base motion say aye any opposed I'm an aye any opposed hearing none that motion will pass 603 thank you all very much by 40. Point of clarification if I can ask Mr.

[01:40:48] Hemstreet or Mr. Rogers do we do we have to go into public comments at 6 o'clock or can we delay that for another item? If the speakers are here you could start them early I would say if they're not here that you reserve them they can come back after 6 o'clock and speak. Can I start it can we start an item finish the item and delay the start of public comment started after 6 o'clock okay great that's what I was asking great in that case what I would like to do is take

[01:41:24] my BMI item number item number nine the Gloucester Parkway extension if we could have staff come forward please actually I apologize I don't want to do this one because we have one speaker on Gloucester Parkway and I would like to hear what they have to say before we do the Gloucester Parkway extension I meant to say 12 which is mine on the elderly and disabled tax deferral or tax

[01:42:02] exemption. Oh I am the staff that's right I apologize. Well let me just move

[01:42:44] we dispense with this fairly quickly I think let me just make the motion and and then I will explain it in my comments and we can vote it up or down as as we see fit. We lost Supervisor but he'll be back here shortly. So I'll go straight to a motion from IBMI. I move the Board of Supervisors direct staff to draft amendments to chapter 872 of the codified ordinances of loudon county real estate tax relief for elderly or totally and permanently disabled that would increase the net worth criteria and the qualifying household income criteria to reflect the change in the consumer price index in the washington metro region since 2021 and add a provision for an automatic increase

[01:43:22] in the net worth and qualifying household income criteria based on the annual change in the consumer price index effective january 1st 2026 that's moved by meme seconded by super rosa shanes okay very briefly in a nutshell for years we there are two criteria by which we provide tax relief for the elderly and disabled one is net worth and the other one is household qualifying income in the net worth category there's two groups essentially according to

[01:43:55] the commissioner revenue staff basically 99 of that group falls into the uh single or married or cohabitating couples that that live in the same household there is no cpi adjustment for that group on the net worth criteria the one narrow group which represents about one percent of that population are uh unrelated persons living in the same household it's about one percent of that population and they do adjust net worth by cpi but it's a very very tiny portion of that group

[01:44:29] the qualifying household income criteria is not adjusted by cpi at all both of these criteria are manually adjusted every four years the last judgment adjustment was in 2021. the reason i brought this bmi is i've had constituents i live in lansdowne woods i've had constituents saying why don't we just tie the net worth criteria and the qualifying household income criteria directly to the cpi each year automatically um my feeling is we established and and we use the baseline of this year to start that process or next year to start that process since i think we've already

[01:45:02] manually set the rates for this year um and um we've already established that we want a certain population to be eligible for relief based on their net worth and also on their household hold qualifying income. It seems to me ponderous and an excess of time and energy for the county staff, for the Commissioner of Reverend's Office, and for the board to have to manually make an adjustment every four years. It seems perfectly logical to me to set the baseline for this program based on total net worth and income, qualifying income, to just tie to the CPI and

[01:45:39] automatically adjust each year based on the CPI. That's all this is. There's not a whole lot of controversy involved with it. Some of you may agree, some of you may disagree. We can take the vote, but that's what its intent is to do, is to tie the entire elderly and disabled tax relief program to the CPI, both in net worth criteria and household income criteria. Other comments? Any questions or thoughts about that issue? Did I get a second? I'm sorry, I haven't even gone.

[01:46:06] I seconded it. You seconded it. Okay, thank you. I have a question for you, Chair Turner, and this is probably a stab in the dark, but by any chance do you know roughly the numbers that might be? If you look in the item, the last paragraph in the item, I believe, says, in fact, it says under the fiscal impact, the lack of household income, net worth, and disability data of homeowners and the relatives residing in the county does not permit the projection of accurate fiscal impacts of foregoing revenue.

[01:46:35] Basically, the population changes every year, and the incomes change every year, and the net worth changes every year. So it's impossible for them to predict in advance. I'm basically saying, logically, though, if we have a population that we want to protect, we roughly understand what the qualifications of that baseline population is.

[01:46:54] And so if we want to protect them, then we ought to tie it to the CPI, so it adjusts automatically. All right. So to your point, do you know the numbers? And again, if you don't, that's, you know, sorry, I didn't ask this question in advance to prepare you. Do you know what the numbers were last year or the year before? I do not have those numbers.

[01:47:12] I want to support it, but just, you know. I think they were presented by the Commissioner Revin when we manually adjusted this year, but I don't have those in my fingertips. All right, thank you. You bet. Other comments? Supervisor LeTourneau. Yeah, I think what gives me heartburn here is just the automatic nature of it, because, you know, when things are going great, that's fine, but if we get to the point at some point they aren't, I'd probably prefer a yearly check-in on this, or every two years, every three years, whatever we end up doing.

[01:47:42] And the other thing is, it's perfectly logical what Supervisor Turner said, but for the rest of the population, CPI is not necessarily your salary. Your net worth doesn't go up by CPI every year. Your salary. I mean, my other job, I can tell you, my salary did not go up CPI the last three years.

[01:48:02] It just didn't. So I have a little bit of difficulty applying that criteria to this as an absolute. I would be probably more willing to just do this annually, depending on circumstances, than to just do a blanket automatic.

[01:48:17] I understand what the objective Supervisor LeTourneau is trying to achieve. This is probably more efficient, but I just don't know that I would support it. Thank you. Other comments? Supervisor LeTourneau? Yeah, I kind of, I had the same concerns as Supervisor LeTourneau did. This is a really good item.

[01:48:35] I like it. We just had a constituent who missed it by $2,500, so no question it needs to be adjusted. Would the chair consider maybe rather than making it based upon CPI to come back to the board on an annual basis or something along those lines?

[01:48:54] I'd really like to support the item. I won't accept that. I really think it should tie to CPI. I understand your concerns. I'll talk about those in my closing comments, but I won't accept it friendly. If you want to make the amendment, feel free to go for it. Okay. All right, well, then the jury's still out for me.

[01:49:12] I'm thinking of that. Thanks. Any other comments? Supervisor Cronin? Yeah, and I'm happy to support this. I know that the Commission on Aging, my representative, reached out and asked for this to be, you know, something to change with this, you know, because it hasn't been changed, right, in four years, you said?

[01:49:33] That's right. Yeah, so it's time to change it, and I think keeping it with the Consumer Price Index makes sense. So, thank you for doing this. thank you um in closing very briefly um i absolutely accept the comments there uh i believe the commissioner of revenue is going to report on these numbers each year as his normal report back to the board so i don't think anything that happens in this program is going to be a surprise to the board i think we're going to get annual updates when the commissioner revenue comes to us for for his normal report so i'm willing to trust that if there's an issue that comes up that he will let us know right away and we can make the manual adjustment backwards rather than be in the

[01:50:11] default position do it by exception so um that's all i have uh motions made and seconded by i'm sorry who's seconded supervisor sanes all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed okay that motion will carry five one um and the motion carries um we have about 10 minutes until public input can i start public input early roger uh yes vice chair turner you can if there are

[01:50:45] there's someone you call who's not here before six o'clock i'd ask you call them after six o'clock okay great we will do that uh we will start the public input session then um when we call your name each speaker has two and a half minutes if you have an interpreter then we give you five minutes not more than three minutes for each of the individual speakers not to exceed five minutes no demonstrations in the boardroom obviously when we are talking that's a pretty standard rule for the board and uh i will call the speaker the next speaker and the third speaker uh in in sequence

[01:51:20] please come to either one of the podiums for your comments and you may speak on any topic that you choose the first speaker will be cameron fox followed by reverend gene wright followed by james russell mr fox welcome hello my name is cameron fox and i'm a seventh grader going to blue ridge middle school i reached out to miss umstead for an opportunity to speak to you about

[01:51:58] an important issue that i'm looking at it's about pfas or known otherwise known as forever chemicals in sports watch bands an important scientific study was released in december of last year by the university of notre dame and it showed that most sports watch bands are made out of a rubbery substance called floralastomer this material is leaching dangerous pfas chemicals into the body of the people wearing them i realized that my own dad was wearing them and so i knew i had to do something about it ever since i found this study i've worked with many people on it i worked with

[01:52:33] environment the environmental working group the office of our state senator russet perry and even our congressman suhas sabramanyam i brought with me tonight the toxic watch band in question um it's like a rubbery material and it's pretty slippery and there's safer alternatives like metal nylon and silicone my ask of the board of supervisors is two things one to make sure that this watch band issue is included in discussions about pfas going forward since i know that when

[01:53:10] most people talk about pfas they're talking about it in the water supply but it being in watch bands is equally as important and two to learn about what minnesota did to address this issue minnesota launched the amara's law which bans pfas in multiple categories and in minnesota watch bands would fall into that category we should do do something like that to follow suit with minnesota and to protect the people of loudon county i've sent the study to miss um sad in case the board hasn't seen it yet i would hope you really have a second to read it it's really

[01:53:46] eye-opening thank you so much for giving me the time to speak mr fox that was excellent thank you you very much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Reverend Jean Wright, followed by James Russell, followed by Natalie Pien. Good evening, board, and thank you for this opportunity to speak. I'm Jean Wright, and I live in the Broad Run District. I'm co-chair of the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Loudoun Hub. The Faith Alliance is a

[01:54:20] regional interfaith organization that has hubs in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun, Harrisonburg, and soon in Winchester. We have over 225 faith communities in FACTS. I'm here to ask you to not grandfather any of the 41 data centers currently in the application phase, but also to have no grandfathering in the system. We ask that all applicants adhere to the new zoning regulations that you will soon be voting upon. The voices of Loudoun County residents must be at the table

[01:54:58] along with the data center businesses. We ask that you direct staff to rely on the state's vested rights regulations and not allow grandfathering to extend those rights. FACTS has developed four policy principles on data centers to guide our advocacy and legislative action. The first is that data centers need to be designed and operated in ways that protect public health and the environment equitably transparently and with accountability our fourth

[01:55:34] policy is that data center priorities need to address current adverse impacts on neighbors and communities the new zoning ordinance will be enacted to promote the health safety and welfare of the residents of loudon county doing so means not only addressing their noise but also the over 5,000 data center diesel generators currently used as backup by the data centers.

[01:56:05] Diesel generators emit over 40 toxic air contaminants. More than 70 percent of cancer risk in the U.S. are attributable to inhalation of diesel exhaust. We don't want these adjacent to our schools and neighborhoods. Residents need to know what's over the fence. So again, we ask that in alignment with the proposed new zoning ordinance that you direct staff to rely on the state's vested rights regulation and not allow any grandfathering to extend those rights

[01:56:41] thank you thank you reverend next up is james russell followed by natalie pn followed by mike litman mr russell are you in the room okay we will come back yep we will come back uh next up natalie pn followed by mike lippman followed by bill carney miss pn are you here it doesn't look like it yes well i'm here i'm sorry i'm sorry sorry okay i didn't know you were on the on the

[01:57:14] line go ahead you're clear okay thanks mike okay great my name is natalie pn a 40 plus year resident of laden county little river district thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts regarding the Data Center Standards and Location, Phase 1.

[01:57:32] Data center development has become a treacherous process, and I think that by comparing what is uncertain about data center development to what is certain will lead to a prudent course of action. Once a predictable industry, much uncertainty has been added.

[01:57:48] New development in artificial intelligence has challenged previous assumptions, such as the amount of power required and other technical assumptions that DeepSeq recently demonstrated to be false. Big tech companies' behavior, like Microsoft's cancellation of data center leases, suggests that the AI boom may be faltering.

[01:58:08] Another uncertainty is the time required to provide the data center with electricity. A final area of uncertainty is the rapid rate and new areas in which data center technology is advancing. These uncertainties make it extremely challenging to make a good decision.

[01:58:24] On the other hand, there is a great deal of uncertainty about data center impacts. We know that data centers do not make good neighbors due to, but not limited to, local human health harming noise and air pollution, electrical grid stability, bad harmonics that can cause fires in homes and damage to electrical appliances, increased electricity bills creating energy burden for Loudoun's lower income community, loss of tree canopy cover, wildlife habitat and open space.

[01:58:54] Given the uncertainties and the certainties about data center development, caution must be exercised to protect Loudoun residents. The data center industry has certainly thrived in Loudoun with 199 data centers already built and 119 in development. Isn't that enough?

[01:59:12] When considering grandfathering data centers, please ask yourself, who stands to benefit? Do data centers need more benefits? Please recall the vision and strategic goals you adopted last December. Will grandfathering advance your vision, quote, to be a prosperous, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable communities where residents and visitors may feel free to live, work, learn, and play? Is grandfathering consistent with your strategic focus area, quote, preserving open space and the environment? Please exclude grandfathering from phase one data center standards and locations. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Pien. Next up is Mike Lipman,

[01:59:51] followed by Bill Carney, followed by Mark Pankow. Vice Chair Turner, Supervisors, it's good to see you again. Lira feels so fortunate to have your support. We take it very seriously and feel personally accountable to you for the program's success. With that in mind, we are here tonight to give you an update on the pilot projects and to quickly reflect on how far we've come. 17 months ago when we first came to you, we were 30 HOAs, 100,000 residents. We're now

[02:00:24] 62 HOAs, 225,000 residents. It's now not uncommon, like last week, to get an email from Senator Russett Perry, who wants to do great for the great. And the $2 million funding that you guys passed was featured in Richmond ahead of a bipartisan bill that passed through Congress requiring retailers to notify customers if they sell invasive plants. The bill now sits on the governor's desk. Back to the pilots. We are seeing a vision come to life beyond our expectations.

[02:00:52] They are greatly informing the program Timmins is working on while showcasing the kind of impact that can be had. At the One Loudon pilot, for example, Central Park has upwards of 100,000 people who come through every year. It's been overrun with invasive plants, which now have mainly been removed. Once complete, signage will be installed to promote the impact to 100,000 people a year. Awareness like that at One Loudon has become central to the vision of the program. Today, maybe one in 20 constituents can identify an invasive plant. That despite state and local educators broadcasting the invasive plant issue for years.

[02:01:29] The impact of webinars and pamphlets pale in comparison to the boots on the ground in your face 450 HOA board supported program that is being piloted right now. Your program launching later this year is rocket fuel. And the reason Timmins and Blue Ridge Prism have both independently called it groundbreaking.

[02:01:47] You need to experience change for it to take root. What this program can do is take people like me who could not identify an invasive plant three years ago, by the way. And now I'm aware. I can't unsee invasive plants. I won't plant them in my yard. I won't buy them at the big box stores. I've removed them from my landscape.

[02:02:06] Timmins is advocating a high impact, high visibility program. Spend the money wisely by converting the masses as quickly as possible. So in the end, this is an awareness campaign to create a paradigm shift. What's that going to look like? We're working with Timmins right now that envision. But I can tell you it's going from 1 in 20 to 10 in 20. It's seeing plummeting sales where retailers are forced to remove invasive plants from their shelves. Our rural economy freer from the threats posed by invasives and our native flora and fauna thriving once again.

[02:02:36] Thank you for your time. Mr. Littman, this is your project. This is your baby from ground up and you deserve enormous thanks and credit from Loudoun County. Great job. I saw Mr. Russell come in.

[02:02:51] Mr. Russell, would you like to speak? Evening. Good evening. Last week I was reading the local paper, and a bill aims to designate the George C. Marshall House as part of the National Park Service.

[02:03:16] Congressman Subramanyam said, honoring George Marshall's remarkable legacy through the preservation of this historic property ensures that future generations of Virginians can continue to experience its significance and to draw inspiration from his story.

[02:03:35] May 12, 1948, George C. Marshall is the Secretary of State under then-President Harry Truman. He's called into the Oval Office to confer with a number of advisors about whether or not to recognize the partition of Palestine.

[02:03:52] Domestic advisor Clark Clifford pressed Truman to recognize Israel urgently before the Soviets did. In Clifford's memoirs, he documents an impressive response from then-Secretary Marshall. Clifford wrote, quote, I saw Marshall's face redden with suppressed anger as I talked.

[02:04:14] When I finished, he exploded. Marshall now says, Mr. President, I thought this meeting was called to consider an important and complicated problem in foreign policy. I don't even know why Clifford is here. He is a domestic advisor, and this is a foreign policy matter.

[02:04:31] I fear the only reason Clifford is here is that he is pressing a political consideration with regards to this issue. I don't think politics should play any part in this. Clifford went on to write, speaking with a barely contained rage and more than a hint of self-righteousness, Marshall made the most remarkable threat I ever heard anyone make directly to a president.

[02:04:52] Marshall wrote on the matter of partition of Palestine, quote, If you follow Clifford's advice, and if I were to vote in the election, I would vote against you. That's a secretary of state to his own sitting president. That man was raised about 200 feet from this spot, right over there.

[02:05:13] No doubt he's turning over in his grave as everything he and his generation worked to build is thrown out the window to continue the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. And yet, as he's turning over in his grave, the party that committed that genocide somehow finds the gall to honor his legacy.

[02:05:34] Thank you, Mr. Bill Carney, followed by Mark Pankow, followed by Pamela McGraw. Mr. Carney, going once, going twice.

[02:05:57] Mr. Pankow, Mark Pankow, followed by Pamela McGraw, followed by Marian Manning. Good evening.

[02:06:13] Good evening. My name is Mark Pankow. I reside in Sterling and the Church Mills HOA. I'm the board chair of the Loudon Environmental Education Alliance, known as LEA. A few months ago, I learned of the Loudon Invasive Removal Alliance, known as LEARA.

[02:06:29] I contacted President Mike Litman to introduce him to LEA. Fast forward, we are now both members of each other's organization. I was informed of the invasive removal program and found that my HOA was not yet on the list at that time.

[02:06:46] It is now. My HOA was one of the 14 Lira HOAs to apply to be a pilot in the invasive removal program, and we were fortunate to be one of the five that were selected. We had two very large stands of bamboo, some honeysuckle and a low-growing spreader known as lesser celandine that is lining the banks of the creek behind my house.

[02:07:14] This is where one stand of bamboo was located on common ground. Bamboo is very difficult to remove once established, and the bamboo behind my house was taking over the creek and the native trees and plants in that area. By the way, I'm delighted to hear about the Bamboo Ordnance Supervisors Black and Briskman are champion to help reverse the damage this invasive causes going forward.

[02:07:42] The bamboo was recently removed by the experts from invasive plant control after Blue Ridge Prism identified the issue, but it's the impact that the removal has on saving the native trees in the area that I'm most excited about. There are mostly oak and maple trees along the creek banks that can now once again see daylight. Their deep roots hold both the soil and place

[02:08:13] minimizing erosion. Mr. Sains may know this area best. The creek comes from uphill crossing under Lincoln Avenue. Because of the steep downhill terrain there's a massive amounts of rainwater that storm downhill during heavy rains. Without these native trees the rainwater could do massive damage to that area and the creek. Most of the downstream residents whose property was being washed away before serious erosion control was instituted some years ago. For some of these

[02:08:49] residents, the creek passes through their property on its way to the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. Without going into a litany of reasons for the support, many of the pollinators are helped by the trees, and it helps sequester carbon. Sir, I'm sorry, your time is up. Thank you very much.

[02:09:15] If you want to submit your comments, you can do that. Excuse me? You can submit your comments right there if you'd like to do that for us. Thank you. We'll distribute them to the rest of the board. Thank you. Ms. Pamela McGraw, followed by Mary Ann Manning, followed by Sid Rudolph. Good evening. Good evening. I am Pamela McGraw, and I am a former member of the Countryside Grounds Committee, a member of LERA. And I am here tonight to simply say thank you.

[02:09:47] Countryside was one of the beneficiaries of the pilot program for invasive removal. We got a grant for $25,000, which we put to very good use in removing three large stands of bamboo in our community. I've left a picture with the clerk, and you'll see, I'm interested in you'll get that tomorrow. The first one measured 10 feet by 60 feet and probably four feet high from one location.

[02:10:14] And as you probably know, and you just heard the gentleman before me say, bamboo is one of the most difficult invasives to deal with. And this grant money has allowed us to remove those three stands at ground level. And now they'll be coming back in and doing spraying. And then our HOA will take over at intervals thereafter to make sure it doesn't return and take measures to stop it if it does. You can imagine with that large swath of bamboo laying out on our curb ready for pickup after it had been cut down, public awareness was increased many times over and I can tell you in

[02:10:52] our community people are noticing and they're learning about invasives as a result of this initiative. So thank you very much for having the foresight to bring forward a program in Loudoun county like this. I'm hoping it can become even a model for other counties here in Virginia.

[02:11:07] And last, I would just like to say with regard to the $2 million program that's currently under development, I hope as you review it, you'll try to keep it simple. That's one of the reasons for the success of the pilot program. Problem was identified, we had contractors, you know, qualified to handle it, and the work was done quite rapidly. And so it resulted in great success. So thank you again. Thank you. Next up, Mary Ann Manning, followed by Sid Rudolph, followed by Fred Ferraris.

[02:11:43] Hi, good evening, Vice Chair Turner, Board of Supervisors. My name is Mary Ann Manning, and I'm a Lira board member and also a board member of the Belmont Community Association in the Ashburn District. First of all, on behalf of Lira, we would all like to thank you very much to the Board of Supervisors for approving the $2.4 million towards invasive plant removal in Loudoun County going back to December of 2023.

[02:12:11] And while we are excited for the countywide grant program to roll out later this year, as it will, excuse me, my allergies are really bothering me, but it will ultimately be the ultimate engine that drives awareness, LERA remains focused on our responsibilities and duties as it relates to our partnership with the county.

[02:12:31] A couple of examples. LERA is well positioned to keep HOAs abreast of developments of the program. Since we now meet with Timmins weekly, we are gaining a better understanding of the program, which will allow us to prepare HOAs ahead of the rollout.

[02:12:46] For example, it appears that having a third-party expert like Blue Ridge Prism perform an assessment of a candidate's property for the most beneficial project will be part of the program now. Additionally, LERA members are participating in a call tomorrow evening which is being led by an expert on replanting natives where invasives were removed. So again, we are working to ensure that end users are ready to go the day the program is launched.

[02:13:12] We continue our volunteer efforts to support invasive plant removal throughout the county and bring awareness to our communities and residents. We've partnered with Blue Ridge Prism on three invasive plant removal training events in 2024. LERA led an additional three invasive plant removal events during the recent National Invasive Species Awareness Week in Lansdowne, Ashburn Village, and Broadlands.

[02:13:37] Wetland Solution, a local landscaping expert in invasive plant removal and restoration, now is now leading and teaching voluntary removal in their spare spare time once a once a month at Lyra HOA's with the backlog of six HOA's waiting their training sessions later this year again we're planning another scrape for a scrape for the grape event at 20 locations that will include wineries HOA's and Ida Lee Park this year we're hoping for about a thousand volunteers versus the 400 participated last year Amazon web services is sponsoring to the

[02:14:14] tune of $7,500 to help with this initiative mom's apple pie is baking spotter lanternfly cookies again for the volunteers and the white about 20 wineries are also going to prepares provide some sort of appreciation for the volunteers who participated in this event thank you very much appreciate your comments. I cannot imagine eating a spotted lanternfly cookie I'm just saying. Sid Rudolph followed by Fred Ferraris followed by Natalie Manzanares. Good evening my name is Lori McNeil

[02:14:51] I'm on the board of directors of the Beacon Hill Community Association. Our board president Sid Rudolph who is a member of the Lira board of directors couldn't attend this evening so I'm filling in for him and reading his comments. We're very thankful for your support of the invasive management species program and your commitment to the pilot programs and your two million dollar commitment for a county-wide program. It's gratifying to know that Loudoun County and our Board of Supervisors are leading the state of Virginia in addressing this important issue. You've heard a number of these points from our other speakers, but the main thing I would

[02:15:26] like to emphasize is that we need to focus on our sense of urgency in addressing this matter. Invasive species spread very rapidly due to lack of natural predators, fast reproduction rates, and efficient dispersal mechanisms that allow them to quickly out-compete native species.

[02:15:44] Last spring, there were very few spotted lanternflies in Beacon Hill. Today, their egg sacs are everywhere. There are success stories through our pilot programs, which you've already heard about, and with our county wineries like Zephaniah Farm Vineyards, where they removed all the tree of heaven within a quarter mile of their vineyards, and the spotted lanternfly population was reduced by orders of magnitude.

[02:16:09] However, a female tree of heaven produces more than 300,000 seeds annually and are spread by the wind, and their root suckers emerge as far as 50 feet from the parent tree. As part of the Lyra initiative, we've learned that the optimum time to remove tree of heaven is June through August.

[02:16:30] Timmons Group has worked hard to shape a successful grant program, and Lyra has been meeting weekly with them to help ensure the case. As you've been hearing, the pilots have created a wonderful model for a highly successful program. We need to do all we can to keep the program on target to start this summer, which would make a big difference for our wineries and rural economy, as well as Beacon Hill residents and residents of countywide.

[02:16:55] Thank you again for your support of this very important initiative and creating the sense of urgency. Thank you. Next up, Fred Ferraris, followed by Natalie Manzanares, followed by Deborah Dalby. Mr. Vice Chair, members of the board, it's nice to see you all again.

[02:17:12] My name is Fred Ferraris. I'm the treasurer of LIRA and the president of Willowsford HOA in the Little River District. As you've heard tonight, the pilots supporting the invasive programs have been invaluable, and what has emerged is helping to shape the model for the invasive programs and what it should look like.

[02:17:29] So what have we learned? What has worked? We've learned that using experts such as Blue Ridge Prism and Invasive Plant Control when identifying projects was critical, and they were used on all 14 Lira pilot programs. We had initially targeted fall for rolling out projects, but it turned out winter was also an excellent time of year for invasive plant removal. We learned about the county systems and processes that needed to be touched and followed in order to work and found them quite easy to use. We learned that a forest management plan is not required to begin work as was originally thought. We learned

[02:18:06] that floodplain permits only take two weeks to acquire after initially being informed it could take months to complete. We learned that it is typically not appropriate to replant natives in natural areas like the woods where invasives were removed. You heard earlier from Marianne that Maddie Bright, the executive director of EarthSonga and a recognized state expert, is hosting a webinar on the topic for Lyra tomorrow. We learned that townships like Leesburg may fall under a different set of rules and will have different requirements when invasive plants are removed. We also learned about three critical things that can lead to this program failing, and we've shared

[02:18:44] these concerns with Timmins during our weekly calls with them on the development of the program. First, complexity. The state's Soil and Water Conservation District offers a VCAP grant program, but only $14,000 was paid last year to Loudoun residents. They screen out more applicants than they screen into the program. It's too complex. Matching. Lira initially proposed implementing a matching program phased in over time. We've learned that a matching program would likely create hurdles for landowners with limited knowledge of the issues and for those who simply can't afford a match. Grant administration. A customer-centric

[02:19:21] administrator with strong subject matter expertise coupled with excellent project, time, and budget management skills will be required for success. I thank you for your time and your leadership on this issue. Thank you very much. Natalie Manzanares, followed by Deborah Dalby, followed by Sirisha Boomeretti.

[02:19:47] Natalie Manzanares, going once, going twice. Next up is Deborah Dalby, followed by Sirisha Boomeretti, followed by Shree Nagareti.

[02:20:09] Good evening. Good evening. Board of Supervisors, thank you for your tireless work in preserving our county. I moved here over 30 years and recall the phrase, don't Fairfax allow it in, and in many ways the elected officials of this county have succeeded in creating one of the most beautiful counties in the country. However in recent years data centers have encroached on our lovely county just drive down data center alley. I attempted to read the proposed document grandfathering data center applications but it seems to be up beyond my pay grade to fully understand without a seminar on the subject. My stance is focused more on the moral and ethical

[02:20:46] aspects of the decision to approve any more data centers. While data centers provide some income to our county. It comes at a cost to humans, noise, air pollution, degradation of our land, and in some cases, a decline in personal property values, and in one case, the total collapse of an entire community, Hidden Wood Valley in Arcola. The zoning ordinance is designed to promote health, safety, and welfare of the people in this county. Native American Indians use the seven-generation principle. How will our decision today affect seven generations in the future? With that in

[02:21:23] mind, I ask the board to consider. The size and design of data centers, as with all technology, data center technology is rapidly changing. The data center of today will look nothing like the data center of tomorrow, hopefully smaller and more efficient. In 10, 20, 30 years from now, we will be left with unsightly buildings that are out of date, and what will become of them?

[02:21:44] Can they be repurposed, or will we be left with unsightly, useless buildings? But another factor that impacts on us now and for the future is water. Water is gold. According to an article by American Society of Civil Engineers in May 2024, data centers rank in the top 10 water-consuming industrial and commercial industries in the U.S. An average data center uses about 18,000 gallons of water daily. We have 199, so that requires 3,582,000 gallons per day, and that doesn't even account for the 117 in the pipeline. While not currently in drought, we experienced drought last

[02:22:23] summer and have struggling with it for over a decade, and it takes years to recover from just one drought season. With climate change sadly here to stay, and how will the data center's enormous use of water affect our drought-susceptible county in the years to come? What is going to mean for seven generations of Loudoun County residents? Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next up is Sirisha Boomerady, followed by Srinagarady, followed by Madhuri Gouganiki.

[02:22:57] Hello. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. My name is Sirisha Boomerady. I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates, Nashpun. I'm here today to represent our entire community opposing Dominion Energy's high-power, high-voltage transmission lines under the project Golden to Mars.

[02:23:24] These power lines will directly impact our schools, our community, our health. Despite proposing all five routes, all five of them are negatively going to impact our community, our children's safety, our property values, and going to put our entire life at risk.

[02:23:50] So today, I'm requesting each and every one of you to stand for us, to support, and to take action against Dominion's energy, to look for alternatives, to look for other options that have not been explored earlier.

[02:24:09] I'm hoping today that you take a decision in transparency, in fairness, and in the best interest of our residents in mind. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Boomerady. Next up is Shree Nagareti, followed by Madhuri Ogunini, followed by Raj Paradkar.

[02:24:32] Good evening, Board of Members, and I think our police is not missing here today. Good to see you all, and thanks for giving the opportunity to speak. My name is Shree Nagareti.

[02:24:47] I'm the resident of Loudoun Valley 2, which comes under Stirling District. Koran is our supervisor, and previously we were under Matt's Dulles District. and today i want to talk about the issue the dominion energy proposed 500 kv power line which threatens the safety and well-being of our neighbors and schools i think matt dallas team they worked earlier with the route 50 the power lines and they separated like you know from the

[02:25:24] residential areas so routing high voltage power lines through residential areas and near educational issues poses high risks. So we strongly oppose those. So I just want to get some numbers on the data center consumption. And I think from 2020, we got $330 million tax revenues. And by 2026, I think we are going to get $1.37 billion tax revenues from the data centers. But at what cost?

[02:25:59] We never thought, like, how much power it's going to consume. And we never planned for those. We just put the data centers up. Now we are planning the infrastructure. That is not right. So you guys need to plan ahead what's coming up. Put the infrastructure first, not put the people throwing under the bus, right?

[02:26:17] So make sure whatever you are approving or approved, how we are going to mitigate. Not putting the power lines through the schools, through the communities, and putting them at risk, health hazards, as well as the fire hazards. So what is the alternatives we have here, right?

[02:26:33] So maybe underground lines directing through non-residential zones like industrial areas or airport access lines or underground lines. So these alternatives would mitigate health risks and preserve the integrity of our neighborhoods and educational institutions.

[02:26:50] So please consider whatever you are approving. Make sure, put the infrastructure first. We fought the Silver Line also, same thing. Approved like 3,000 homes, putting the infrastructure. So make sure it's not too late. We need to plan for the next generation.

[02:27:05] Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Nagredi. Next up is Madhuri Gogueniki, followed by Raj Parodkar, followed by Mandira. Hi, good evening, everyone.

[02:27:22] This is Madhuri Gogueniki. I'm also from the same community from the Sterling District, And I'm also here to oppose the 540 kilowatt power line that is going to affect not only as the speakers earlier who mentioned, the community, the schools, and health risk assessments, things like that.

[02:27:46] And we are opposing all the five proposed lines that came through Dominion Energy. And not sure why the underground option was not one of the options in one of those five. We would like to see and explore the underground option as the lady who ever spoke.

[02:28:07] So we need to see how the next seven generation would be after us. So when we are planning something, we need to look for the future, not just for the present case. And also, already mentioned about the water usage, the power usage, things like that, and down the lane.

[02:28:26] We are not sure with all these data centers popping up in Loudoun County, what the effect is going to be. So we would like to strongly oppose the high-power voltage lines that are going through the community and make a proper decision that will help for the future, now and for the future.

[02:28:47] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Guganini, I appreciate -- Ganniki, I apologize. Mr. Raj Paradkar, followed by Mandira Roy, followed by Shane Crow. All right, good evening, everyone.

[02:29:04] Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk. I am Raj Paradkar, and I am also a resident of Loudoun Valley 2 in Ashburn. And I am here to represent the Loudoun Valley 2 task force to oppose all the current route options proposed by Dominion, and to convey that the community is disappointed that the board of supervisors has picked and recommended an option that will severely impact the safety and health of our children that go to Rosalie Carter Elementary School and Rockridge High School.

[02:29:36] I have kids that go to both these schools. The proposed line that will be going right above the sidewalk that they will be walking under, and these are not 230K lines. These are 500 kilowatt high voltage transition lines which can result in severe health issues for our children and the teachers and the staff of both these schools. There hasn't been sufficient research done to prove that this will not result in a health risk. I would like to remind the board that as per the

[02:30:16] current Virginia Department of Education's guidelines for school facilities please refer to page 16 item number 9 and I quote location of schools near electric power transmission lines or other environmental hazards should should be avoided if new schools cannot be built next to power transmission lines then how can you allow them to put them next to existing schools we urge that you resign the recommendation first and please work with our community to encourage all stakeholders, Dominion, EMWA, and others to consider options that were not fully explored

[02:30:55] previously before making the determination of a recommendation. We need to have a third-party independent review of Dominion's report to ensure that the community's best interests are met. Undergrounding may be expensive, but we are the richest county in the U.S. today, and the need for power will keep growing because 50% more data centers that have been approved by the county are going to come online in the next few years, and we'll be discussing this again and again on more such routes that tear through our communities. Please keep the safety of our

[02:31:31] people as your first priority before making any future decisions. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Mr. Shane Crow, followed by Anapura Ponugoti, followed by Vani Totanini.

[02:31:48] Totanini, I apologize. Good evening, Board of Supervisors. My name is Mandira Roy, and I am just like many of my neighbors here, here to strongly oppose all the five proposed lines for Dominion Power Lines for the Golden to Mars Project.

[02:32:06] All these routes are dangerously close to our residential communities and schools, up to 1,200 houses and two schools just within 500 feet. This impacts up to 15 different communities.

[02:32:22] We do not have any in-depth long-term studies of such high-power lines running around houses and schools. And we certainly do not want an Erin Brockovich 20 years from now and we thinking at that time, did we do our due diligence then?

[02:32:38] Such huge electric lines lead to an imminent danger of fires during thunderstorms. We have seen firsthand the devastations in North Carolina and California. I understand the need for power, but why are we being forced to compromise and choose the least impactful proposed route? In this age of advanced technology, why can't we design an option with no impact to all? Let me reiterate our board's vision. While appreciating and acknowledging our history, Loudoun County strives to be a prosperous, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable community

[02:33:17] where residents and visitors feel free to live, work, learn, and play. And I'm sorry to say, I do not feel free with any of these proposed lines. Can I count on the board to say a strong no to the compromise and influence Dominion Power to come back to the drawing board and work along with EMWA, along with the communities, and find a way that does not make me choose between my husband, who stays in the house and my kid who attends the school.

[02:33:48] Please don't make me choose between my own family members and their health. Thank you for your time and consideration. - Thank you very much, Ms. Roy. Shane Crow, followed by Annapurna Ponugoti, followed by Toti Niki.

[02:34:05] - Good evening. - Good evening. - As always, my name's Shane. I come from the Algonquian district in Sterling. I'm here speaking on behalf of Up Up Virginia, a nonprofit democracy reform organization. And my main point for my comment tonight is, as always, Loudoun County should consider implementing ranked choice voting.

[02:34:24] But I did want to follow up from my previous comment where we had the info session explaining how ranked choice voting would work and how it would need to be implemented for our local elections. And one thing I'd like to do first is correct one comment I had made.

[02:34:40] I had initially suggested reaching out to, I had said, Delegate Srinivasan, I'd like to correct and say he is state senator since he had just won the special election. But he does still serve on the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. And in the House, it is now delegates Singh and Reid who sit on the Privileges and Elections Committee.

[02:35:01] And so they're the delegation that handle ranked choice voting legislation in the General Assembly. I'd also like to refer back to a comment that Supervisor Kirshner had made, where he prioritizes and admonishes the principle of keeping it simple.

[02:35:20] And it did make me think and realize that on the one hand, for voters, it still remains simple, only having to choose just one candidate. But elections are more than just voting, it's also running and campaigning.

[02:35:35] And in that sense, it isn't as simple, because unless you happen to have the grace of one of the two political parties, then it takes a lot of time and effort in order to show your passion and your innovation that someone would want to bring to the community.

[02:35:52] And that's part of the problem that ranked choice voting is trying to solve, is that it's very difficult for people who are very passionate and want to engage with their democratic process to give them that opening so that they can provide their alternatives to problems that all of us are feeling.

[02:36:10] And I'll wrap up with the other point, which is the marginal aspect where Loudoun County would only use it one every four years. That's still just a snapshot of what the law is right now. Again, as an organization, we work with the General Assembly to try and expand that to include statewide and federal offices.

[02:36:29] But, again, we would appreciate it if, like, local officials would also help lobby our delegation in the Privileges and Elections Committees. Thank you again. Thank you, Mr. Crowe. Annapurna Ponegoti, followed by Vani Totanemi, followed by Bhavna Chandat.

[02:36:47] Hi. Good evening, everyone. Good evening. My name is Annapurna Ponegoti, and I'm a resident of LV2, Nashburn area. I'm here with many others from my community to raise my concerns. I'm here to strongly oppose the proposed Dominion high voltage power lines near our LV2 community and schools.

[02:37:09] It highly impacts the well-being of my family, my neighborhood, and my neighborhood community and schools as we are exposed to the high electromagnetic fields. I strongly request Dominion to look at other options and not to destroy our community's well-being.

[02:37:28] We need your support in this and request you to please consider my plea. Thank you. Thank you. Vani Totanini, followed by Bhavna Chandak, followed by Benjamin Wynn. Good evening, board members. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.

[02:37:49] I am Vani Totanini, resident of Loudoun Valley Estates Community, Ashburn, Sterling District. Today, I am here to express my concerns regarding Dominion Energy's proposed high-voltage transmission lines, Golden to Mars. My house is around 200 feet away from the Loudoun County Parkway.

[02:38:09] I'm like other neighbors who are on the Loudoun County Parkway and the vicinity of this power lines will have high impact to the health of our family. We have elders and children in our houses which will have a major impact due to the electromagnetic field these power lines emit.

[02:38:28] So these power lines will have impact not just to the kids in our neighborhood and schools, also to the 1200 household health wise and financial impacts on the home prices. I'm here with many others from my community to share my strong opposition.

[02:38:44] Dominion should look at other options and not impact our community and neighborhood. We would request support from board to consider other options that are less impactful to neighborhood and schools. Thank you everyone. - Thank you very much.

[02:39:00] Bhavna Chandok, followed by Benjamin Nguyen, followed by Vijaya Ravnikanti. Good afternoon. My name is Bhavna Chandok. I stand before you today not only as a concerned resident, but as someone who has experienced the devastating effects of brain aneurysm.

[02:39:21] Just last year, I suffered double brain aneurysm. The physical and the emotional toll it took on me and my family was beyond what words can fully describe. Following my surgery, I was faced with the harsh reality of having my driving privileges suspended for six months.

[02:39:40] My surgeon even recommended that avoid traveling by ear for an entire year, making it difficult to even travel for my loved one's medical treatment. But more than the physical restrictions, it was the emotional toll that hit the hardest.

[02:39:56] Imagine being told that your chances of survival with the majority of your faculties intact were less than 10 percent. That is a reality I lived with for months. This not only affected me but also deeply impacted my family who had to shoulder the emotional and the financial burden for my recovery. The financial toll of this experience was overwhelming. My medical bills have been astronomical and on top of that I had to step away from business during my recovery. The stress of these challenges combined with my health struggles is something

[02:40:29] I wouldn't wish to relive. Now, as I stand here, I must ask, what will be the potential impact of these high-voltage power lines be on people like me? We are already at a high risk of health complications due to our conditions, and the addition of electromagnetic fields from these lines could worsen things for people like me. The stress, anxiety, and the potential for worsening health risks are not something I take lightly. Additionally, the disruption this project could bring, whether through noise, construction, or further stress in our daily lives, could

[02:41:09] add to the emotional and financial stress. I urge you to consider the impact on vulnerable individuals and reach out to Dominion. I strongly object the use of overhead power lines and request for the use of safer solutions that are rooted in our community values.

[02:41:29] I would encourage them to re-work the different routes with commercial landowners or the MWAA. We need to prioritize the health and well-being of our community, not just the development of infrastructure that uses our families as a science experiment.

[02:41:46] Thank you so much. Thank you very much. I'm sorry, were you Ms. Chanda? I'm trying to okay great thank you very much I appreciate it next up is mr. Benjamin Wynn followed by Vijaya Ravi Conti followed by Ramana fun Ramana I'm sorry Raji Ramana fun Benjamin Wynn for the Goose Creek Scenic River Advisory Committee again speaking in opposition to the Gloucester Parkway extension we're on record as opposing this and that has not

[02:42:24] changed but we do point out that between route 7 and the bike path crossing that area is under particular stress right now there's been a significant loss of tree canopy and underbrush that has been cleared in the wake of two data center projects and a third one coming on which will result in more clearing but also this would be a permanent loss as will the dominion crossing

[02:42:55] and the belmont belmont extension crossing so we would rather not have another permanent scar on the creek right there but thank you very much sir just to be clear the motion tonight is to remove the glosser parkway extension over the goose creek and you support that removal very much support thank you very much yes thank you next up is uh vijayah ravikanti followed by rama nathan

[02:43:30] raji ramanafan followed by gopinadan minachi hello everyone good evening uh thanks for giving this opportunity to express our concern here uh we are strongly i'm from the community from the past that everyone is speaking about in ashburn where dominion is planning all the five lines or different options for electric poles above the ground, and we came into this community about 16 years back, and we see so many surprises coming up since then. So many data centers

[02:44:09] around us within a mile or so. We have no clue how much different fields or magnetic fields or whatever we call scientific things we are under and what impacts it is really causing us in daily lives, into our kids, into next generations. And I'm hearing there are hundreds of more data centers coming up in the near future. Now that these electric utilities or demands are coming up, and this is causing so many new poles or new substations coming into, and if this

[02:44:43] continues, I'm pretty sure there will be some more and many more in the near future, which will affect, I'm not sure how much and how many generations and how many people with different health aspects. I don't want to go into each and every detail of it, but certainly when our house is just beside a substation or a data center, for sure you will be concerned in longer term. I'm pretty sure everyone sitting here, everyone will be concerned when your house is next to it. And everyone will try to run away from it or people won't even come to live there.

[02:45:20] So this is what will have an impact eventually. That is what will happen. Increasing data centers, increasing demands for utility or whatever electric demands it will have. And we strongly urge, and as we oppose this, we strongly urge the board to work with Dominion and find out different alternatives.

[02:45:42] At least go underground or find some other solutions which will not impact the health and prosperity of the community at the same time if there is any way to uh reject the proposals for new data centers i really please urge everyone to make it stand somewhere else other than residential properties away from the communities residential communities thank you so much for hearing our plead and uh appreciate everyone thank you thank you very much uh rajee ramanathan followed by gopinad

[02:46:20] minachi followed by julie bolt house hey uh good evening everyone um i'm not good in public speaking so i'm kind of a bit shaking um neither are we you're fine so i'm here to oppose the 550 kilowatt power line golden to mars power line that's coming very near to my home and my community which is really scary because i'm there for 15 years you know i'm not even flying to move or anything and then suddenly this comes i am really scared of what it's going to impact on us our

[02:46:55] health and my family's health my communities it is big thing like if you think of it i go google it a lot of things shows up right so it's it's very scary please please please look into it and please do something i do believe in god i do think miracle happens i think i see you all as like god sent angels please please please please look into our issues because right now we just you see 10 people here there are thousand peoples in our community who cannot come here and why so because they are working and they have kids to take care and all those stuff so it's

[02:47:32] it's a huge community everybody is getting impacted putting a high voltage 500 and 500 kilowatt power line near a residence near a school it's like i can't explain the emotions we are all going through so please please please whatever power you have that you can stop this power line as well as future data centers or even current constructing data centers if you can stop it please please do that i'll really really appreciate i know you guys are great and you guys um will do

[02:48:11] whatever is fair and, you know, please do whatever it takes for this community to, you know, future to be better for us. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Ms. Ravikanti. Raji Ramanathan. I'm sorry. Raji Ramanathan, is that you? Yes. Okay, gotcha. I'm one behind. Gopinadan Minachi, followed by Julie Bolthouse, followed by Lox Penn-Dorothy.

[02:48:47] Good evening. Good evening. Thanks, board members. I'm going to bring it here. I'm going to, first of all, thank all the ladies in our community who showed up and support the Mars project. Their mind's going to be short and sour, not sweet anymore, because I'm here to vehemently condemn the Mars, golden to Mars, the high transmission power line.

[02:49:11] I'm so amazed, like the other ladies talking about that data centers consumes a lot of water and stuff like that. So it is like, why the ladies have so much power, I guess, looks like it. If they speak, the emotion comes up. Please reconsider the Mars project to alternate route, underground, or whatever.

[02:49:32] Don't tell me that it's like an already done thing or something. Anything is possible. Anything is possible. Reversible possible, obviously. So please consider and then do whatever you can in your power to support our community. Please do not shred our community and stop the project and do an alternative way.

[02:49:53] Thanks. Thank you very much. And just to be clear for everyone on the Dominion Power Lines, the Lowndes County Board does not have the power to say yes or no to power lines. No jurisdiction in Virginia can say that. This is a regulated state, which means the utilities are the ones that decide with the State Corporation Commission whether or not to build power lines and where to build them.

[02:50:13] We get a voice, we can entertain legal arguments, we can participate in that legal discussion. But we do not have the authority as a Board of Supervisors to say yes to that power line and no to that power line, just to be clear to everybody. So where do we plead? Should we go plead against the state?

[02:50:29] Well, we understand and we have supported an effort by the citizens on the Aspen to Golden Line, Long Route 7, some months ago, which ultimately, unfortunately, proved unsuccessful with the State Corporation Commission. we're prepared to go renew that cycle again with the golden to mars line i just want everyone to be absolutely clear the final decision does not rest with this board it rests with the state corporation commission so if you want to weigh in with the state corporation commission that they there will be a process whereby you can do that but do you have the power to give you or someone to something i mean give you some suggestions you can always reach out to you can always reach out

[02:51:06] to the state corporation commission by email and they will have public hearings they'll invite you We'll notify you when those polling hearings are and you can attend. Whatever recorded here, is it going to be presented to somebody in the state commission? They allow presentations, but I don't know that they allow individual citizen presentations.

[02:51:23] No, not presentation. Whatever we said here, is it going to be recorded? I really can't get engaged in this conversation. It'll come down in the future. The state corporation will notify you when those kinds of public inputs are made, and we'll help you with that. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next up, Julie Bolthouse, followed by Lox Pendorthy, followed by Trinity Mills.

[02:51:46] Good evening, Supervisors. I'm Julie Bolthouse, Director of Land Use with Piedmont Environmental Council. I've been engaged on data center reform needs at the state level for the past several years, and I'd like to update you on one bill in particular, HB 1601.

[02:52:02] It's particularly relevant for your discussion on potentially grandfathering data centers from the future CPAMS-OM consideration. This bill was patroned by Delegate Josh Thomas of Prince William County and passed this session.

[02:52:18] It was one of the very few bills that made it through and passed. It is now headed to the governor's desk. For facilities over 100 megawatts, it requires sound profiles demonstrating impact on nearby residents and schools. It requires the utility to describe for localities any substations and transmission line voltage that will be required before your local approval, and it allows localities to require site assessments to examine effects on water, agricultural resources, parks, historic sites, and forests.

[02:52:49] This will empower localities to obtain more information at the time of application and negotiate for better projects for Loudoun County. However, if you decide to grandfather over 40 applications rather than require a special exception, Then you've chosen not to accept the assistance offered by the state and gotten by the many organizations who advocated for this bill to improve transparency so that localities would have the information they need to negotiate for better projects.

[02:53:19] With the Potomac Energy Center gas plant bought up by Blackstone, which is an owner of QTS and joint ventures with Digital Realty, expanded gas delivery capacity to the Leesburg compressor station, which we submitted comments to FERC on, and never-ending construction of more and more data centers with hundreds of generators on site, well over 4,000 permitted in Loudoun County alone.

[02:53:46] I am truly fearful for our air quality in the future and my family's health. Please don't tie your hands behind your back voluntarily and adopt the CPAM-ZoAM for data centers without grandfathering and only minimal exceptions for minor variations.

[02:54:04] Thank you very much. Thank you, Ms. Bolthouse. Next up is Trinity Mills, followed by Randy Minshew, followed by Rama Raparthi. I'm sorry, did we get Lacks Pendorthy?

[02:54:26] Okay. Thank you very much. Yes, ma'am. Good evening. My name is Trinity Mills, speaking on behalf of Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy regarding grandfathering considerations for Phase I of the data center standards and locations. We at Loudoun Wildlife are supportive of the CPAM and ZOAM as originally proposed by the board.

[02:54:46] We believe that the vested rights instilled by the state are sufficient to manage the concerns that must be addressed for in-process applications. We are deeply concerned that incorporating grandfathering, especially in date form, will reduce the efficacy of your initiative. Incorporating grandfathering using a date decreases the benefits felt by the CPIM and ZOEM for the residents that it is intended to protect.

[02:55:07] This process would give each application equal consideration, regardless of if they are in an appropriate industrial location or in proximity to ecologically sensitive or residential areas. A primary concern that we have is that allowing grandfathering would not increase transparency for data center applications.

[02:55:24] as is a vital and fundamental element of this initiative. If date-based grandfathering is implemented, many applications will be given the grace to skirt the legislative process. Not only does this mean that the board will not review these applications to ensure that they are doing everything possible to minimize impacts, it also serves to shield these applications from public scrutiny.

[02:55:46] As opposed to the administrative process, the legislative process means more readily available information for the public and more direct avenues for public involvement. Remediating the negative impacts that have come from data center growth, some of which we have heard very clearly tonight, was the goal of beginning this initiative.

[02:56:04] And holding all data centers to the highest standard possible is the way to achieve this. There are a plethora of data center applications in process and still to come for the county. You know this. The higher standards and transparency that your constituents are demanding has to be implemented as quickly and as widespread as possible.

[02:56:23] Additions to Loudoun's biggest industry must be immediately accountable to both the board and to Loudoun residents. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Randy Minshew, followed by Rama Raparthi, followed by Dominic Parris. Good evening, Mr. Chairman and members of the Board of Supervisors.

[02:56:41] I'm Randy Minshew, and I speak tonight on behalf of Lerner Enterprises, the owner of many successful retail, industrial, and residential developments here in our county. I've submitted to the clerk a letter from Mr. Art Fusillo, Executive Vice President of Lerner Enterprises, so I'm not going to restate all of his comments, but I want to let you know that Lerner Enterprises has a pending site plan for redevelopment of one of its industrial properties.

[02:57:07] That's E-Plan 2025-0027, and it is not clear if that site plan that was filed back in February be covered by a grant of grandfathering premised upon the February 12, 2025 board public hearing.

[02:57:23] And in light of that, and as stated in Mr. Vucillo's letter, we would ask that a grant of grandfathering not be premised upon the public hearing date, which was a few weeks ago, but instead either upon tonight, the date where the board will be adopting its grandfathering provision most likely, or on the effective date of the um zoam 2024-001. i note that when the board adopted our new zoning ordinance uh the grandfather provision was made effective on that effective date and that's a good parallel analogy to this zoning ordinance tonight that mr chairman i thank you for your consideration

[02:57:57] and i'll yield back to balance my time thank you very much next up is uh rama raparthi followed by dominique paris followed by tia ermin good evening everyone good evening yeah actually thank you for this opportunity i'm ramar apurthy i have a question to ask here have any of you ever got an x-ray done if so have you did you ever wear the apron definitely i won because of the influence of the radiation that is going to pose when you take an x-ray so similarly these power lines are going to cause so much electromagnetic radiation as a student i've done an experiment

[02:58:36] with such a small magnet with an electric field in there and if you touch try to touch your finger you will be like you know you'll have to bounce back but these power lines that they're setting up it has so much invisible radiation that you'll not even be able to see or like you know it is radiating continuously and it is so close to the houses we have a whole set of houses that are just 200 feet away from that if they're going to put such big 100 feet like you know i heard there it's going to be 100 feet wide towers what kind of an impact it is going to cause to me my family my neighbors my future generations we are here to live forever like you know we think this is our home

[02:59:15] until we die and we expect to see our grandchildren in there but if you're setting up a kind of a entire like you know you're making it as i'm not a doctor but you know if you are posing us the risk of getting unhealthy sick you know you have seen cancer there's leukemia there's so many things that are going to be, you know, that kids are going to be impacted.

[02:59:36] I know kids are leaving for college. Our kids might not live there, but they're going to come back. We as old parents will be a burden for them if we are in the future, we are getting suffered with something that is, you know, we don't want to ruin their lives in any way and especially ruin our lives.

[02:59:51] And so I'm strongly opposed what the Dominion is trying to do. And I request and plead you guys, if you can do something as a board, you need to do it. You need to do it for each and every individual. You know, tomorrow, any of your family members might be buying the house in that neighborhood.

[03:00:11] I know, I don't want to say that, but, you know, everybody needs to be healthy. At the end of the day, the biggest asset everyone has is health, and that's what I want to conclude. And also, why do we have so many data centers' approval? You know, this was more of a residential area.

[03:00:27] If you see Broadlands, if you Brambleton, if you see Loudoun Valley, suddenly we see, like, you know, they're cropping up like weeds. We don't want to supply that power to those weeds. They can have, like, you know, the U.S. is a big country. There's a lot of space, North Dakota, South Dakota.

[03:00:44] Go anywhere. Set up those data centers and help the people who are living in. Don't do it in a place where, you know, there's a lot of population that is living. I know you can set up, you know, you guys can do something. You guys can at least send a letter or do whatever that will oppose this.

[03:01:01] This is really required by you guys. Thank you, Ben. thank you so much thank you very much um uh was that miss raparthi yeah yeah thank you next up is dominique paris followed by tia ermine followed by venkat mavouri dominique paris going once going twice thank you miss ermine all right good evening everyone my name is tia ermine speaking for the piedmont environmental council tonight on the data center

[03:01:38] CPAM-ZOAM item. We are very encouraged by your excellent work to move this issue forward and take action now. While we agree minor adjustments in approved applications should not trigger a new legislative process, we would like to point out that the proposed 5% potential increase of the approved gross floor area is a minor increase when we're talking about a 15,000 square foot Walgreens, but when applied to a 300,000 square foot data center, the minor change allowed by this 5% increase now equates to the size of an entire Walgreens. We recommend a much smaller percentage

[03:02:14] increased to be considered in order to be classified as a minor adjustment. We have significant concerns around the grandfathering conversation and feel strongly the best legal footing for the county to operate from is the state-approved framework of the vesting process.

[03:02:31] Additional exemptions and special exceptions made above and beyond this framework gives deference to corporations over the health and well-being of Loudoun's residents. The conversation around grandfathering thus far has revolved almost entirely around the impact to the data center industry and real estate speculators, with very little discussion about the most negatively impacted by this political decision, Loudoun's residence.

[03:02:59] A blanket grandfathering date does nothing to consider the impacts of the 41 applications in the system on our residents. It does not consider their location near homes or schools. It does not consider if the applicant has done anything to increase their visual appeal, decrease their air quality impacts, or mitigate their noise impacts on residents.

[03:03:21] It is simply an arbitrary date allowing 41 more data centers through with minimal oversight. I have every certainty many of those 41 data centers will be approved, but I also have every certainty taking a closer look at those applications will result in better, more responsible developments, which will work to balance the residents' concerns and community needs against this industry's might.

[03:03:49] We have an opportunity right here to put in place a more detailed review process immediately to prioritize the health and well-being of Loudoun's residents over the profit margins of the world's wealthiest corporations. We hope you will see it through, and thank you for your work.

[03:04:05] Thank you, Ms. Irwin. Next up is Venkat Mavuri, followed by Jembingo, followed by Chris Tandy. Good evening, everyone.

[03:04:21] My name is Venkat Mavuri. I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley 2, And I'm here to oppose the proposal plan of Golden Mars project. This plan is created only for the data centers. This power supply is not meant for county residents.

[03:04:39] It's only for business purpose. And the data centers that are developing in this area, everyone, when they're coming here for application, they're saying creating jobs. If we really see any data center, we hardly see less than 20 cars inside that building.

[03:04:57] That means it's not creating jobs in Loudoun County. It's all created in somewhere else. We are paying the burden. We are paying our health as a risk and all these concerns, why we need to pay that. If the data centers doesn't have power, please do not approve here.

[03:05:16] If they need to have, please consider canceling our future projects. consider a very safer route for this project. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Jembingle, followed by Chris Tandy, followed by Jim Evo. Good evening, Chair Turner and board members. I'm Jembingle, also speaking for the Piedmont Environmental Council this evening.

[03:05:53] Before addressing my main comments on grandfathering for the data center initiative, I want to state again our support for the removal of Gloucester Parkway from the countywide transportation plan. As you've heard, we support your data center initiative, but oppose grandfathering any of the applications currently under review that do not meet the definition of vested rights in the Virginia State Code. A key reason, you'd be voluntarily giving up the opportunity to review the 41 applications noted in the staff report and the chance to shed light on and oversee each and every one of those applications in the system today, plus the ones you're looking to do in the future.

[03:06:22] You could directly support residents' needs in the process. So please consider this. How would grandfathering benefit Loudoun residents and accomplish the goal of your initiative? We don't think you're going to reject every one of those 41 applications, despite our encouragement to consider rejecting them for many good reasons that we've spelled out repeatedly.

[03:06:44] You have declared that each application will be considered on its individual merits. Rejecting grandfathering would allow you to do exactly that, find out what information applicants are willing to share and minimize the public harms resulting from their developments.

[03:07:03] Dominion has said that the power to serve Loudoun's data centers is limited for the next few years. An additional step in the approval process won't do major harm, and the added cost is a fraction of the hundreds of millions of dollars it takes to construct a data center.

[03:07:18] Shedding light on the impacts is critical, particularly as some are planning to burn more fossil fuels locally instead of hooking up to the grid. We and others sent you a letter today to further share our thoughts along with slides about Loudoun's greenhouse gas emissions and health impacts.

[03:07:37] Per COG and the county's own energy strategy, these emissions have been steadily increasing since 2005 as a result of data center diesel generators. While they represent a small fraction of what's permitted, the pollutants have health impacts.

[03:07:54] They not only hurt Loudoun residents, but those to our east and north, which must not be ignored. If you still choose to support grandfathering, consider that there are other alternative dates to pick from, given the length of time this initiative has been in the works. Thank you.

[03:08:09] Thank you, Ms. Bingle. Next up is Chris Tandy, followed by Jimmy Vo, and our final speaker, AJ. Greetings, supervisors. I'm speaking only for myself tonight and first wanted to thank those of you that have made time to meet up with me on the CPM. It's no way I miss you. Very much appreciate it.

[03:08:26] It's awesome to see so many folks here speaking against the power lines and especially from an angle of public health concern. I thought I'd take a moment to remind the board that the only reason we have this power line problem is because data centers have created an energy crisis in this county to the point that they're starting to bypass the grid and just generate their own power using natural gas generators on site.

[03:08:46] The Vantage data center in Sterling got a DEQ permit in 2023 for eight Titan 130 gas turbines. And that permit allows them to emit over 160 tons per year of particulate pollution, a type of pollution that causes premature births, low birth weight, respiratory disorders, heart disorders, and early death.

[03:09:07] That one Vantage data center, their permit emissions are equivalent, they're nuts, frankly. most data centers are permitted below 10 tons per year. Some are over 20, but there wasn't a single data center permitted over 30 tons per year by DEQ in 2024. So 160 tons per year is objectively quite high. 160 tons per year is equivalent to 46,822 buses worth of emissions if each bus is driving 20,000 miles a year all within the county. I hear a similar data center that would be twice as large as being planned.

[03:09:47] So I would ask you to please support public health and pass the CPAM and ZOM with no grandfathering. Thank you. Thank you. Next up is Jimmy Vo, followed by AJ, our final speaker. I don't, I'd have to read.

[03:10:06] Good evening, board members, county officials and fellow concerned residents. As you've heard all night, many of our residents have come to speak to you and concerned about the high power lines that are coming uh that are potentially going to impact our neighborhood my name is jimmy vo and i stand before you today as the rosalie carter pto president as well as resident within our neighborhood i represent 900 families within our community and the 1800 within our neighborhood

[03:10:42] we're deeply troubled by the proposed high power transmission lines that threaten the safety well-being and future of our community i am not here just for myself but for our children our neighbors and the integrity of the neighborhoods we have worked so hard to build first and foremost we must ask you would you allow your children to spend hours a day every day beneath high voltage power lines because that's exactly what this proposal would do placing these these high towering power lines dangerously close to Rosalie Carter Elementary and Rockridge High School where hundreds of young students learn and play daily while there's an

[03:11:20] ongoing debate about the health risks associated with the long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields from high power transmission lines multiple studies suggest potential links to an increased risk of childhood leukemia and other health concerns and even if the research is inconclusive is it worth the gamble with when our children's health is on the line we should err on the side of caution not convenience beyond the schools these power lines will run through our long valley neighborhood a thriving family friendly community that so many of us have invested in. High voltage power lines will lower our property values and real estate

[03:11:57] experts confirm that homes near transmission lines often experience a 10 to 20 percent decline in value. Who will compensate our homeowners for this loss? Who will explain to future buyers that their dream home comes with looming metal towers overhead? Let's be clear, this is not just about aesthetics. It's about the economic stability of our families. It's about the hard earned equity that many of us rely on for our children's education, retirement, or financial security. Approving this proposal is not just a decision for power infrastructure. It is a decision that will drain wealth from homeowners, disrupt lives, and permanently alter the character

[03:12:36] of our community. Bowen County has been a leader in smart, sustainable growth, balancing innovation with community needs. By approving these power lines, you are setting a precedent that says corporate interests outweigh resident concerns. That short-term convenience is worth a long-term damage to our neighborhoods. This is not the law we believe in. There are better alternatives, including routing. Your time is up. I'm sorry. Thank you. If you'd like to submit your comments, you can do that. I will. Thank you. Our final speaker is AJ, who is age seven. Hello, everyone.

[03:13:16] I'm a second grader at Rosalie Carter, here tonight to remind all of us about the importance of forward thinking and that all the students in this community are the future. Our safety should be a priority. We will inherit the legacy you build for us.

[03:13:34] So maybe it shouldn't be power lines over our playgrounds. Data centers, electricity short-circuiting our education. Is this the message you want to send all of us?

[03:13:51] "Hey, future leaders, your safety isn't important to us. "Good luck." I really hope not. Thank you, and good night. - Thank you, AJ, that was excellent, we appreciate it. - And I know I've come here many times before advocating for compassion, understanding, basic human rights, and one of the most important of those rights is our ability to feel safe in our homes and in our schools.

[03:14:15] So we, as a community, are asking you to urge dominion to find another way, one that doesn't put our hearts in human form or so many of your constituents at risk, don't allow the data center's footprint to trample our communities.

[03:14:30] - Thank you, ma'am. That completes our speakers. Is there anyone else in the room that would like to speak before we end the public input session? Do we have a sheet?

[03:14:54] If you could state your name, please, for us. - Hi, my name is Jeremy Jones. I would just like to point out that this board has never been able to verify whether or not the data stored in Loudoun's data centers has been utilized in the Gaza genocide.

[03:15:18] I would also like to add that the data in these data centers isn't exclusively just, you know, half or sorry, 70 percent of the world's Internet.

[03:15:36] It's not just, you know, text messages or, you know, people sending videos to each other on Facebook. It's also, the data in these data centers is crucial for things like military operation, including AI software that is used to target civilians purposefully.

[03:16:16] And yeah, the fact that there hasn't been any answers on what's going on with the data centers, I think is pretty telling. Thank you. Any other public input?

[03:16:34] Thank you very much for your comments. We really appreciate it. I know sometimes it takes some guts to get up here and talk in a public forum. We really do appreciate your inputs. I'd like to go next to the Gloucester Parkway extension, if I can ask staff to come up for that. I don't think, unless someone wants the presentation, I don't need it.

[03:16:53] It's in my district. This is pretty straightforward. I'm going to go straight to a motion, and I think we can dispense with this pretty quickly.

[03:17:10] Good evening.

[03:17:29] Thank you for coming tonight. We really don't need the presentation. If you'd like to make some comments, you're welcome to. We're here to answer any questions you have. That's awesome. And I'm happy to take any questions. Okay, great. I'll go straight to a motion. I move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to proceed with scenario two for the removal of the eastern segment of the extension of Gloucester Parkway between cochran mill road and belmont ridge road and prepare map and text amendments to the loudon county 2019 county-wide transportation plan for future public hearings as generally described in the march 4th 2025 board of supervisors business meeting action item second by supervisor umstat

[03:18:04] very briefly um the the study uh broke the gloucester parkway extension which extends from the end on bellmont ridge road across to um it crosses cochran mills road and attaches with cross trails boulevard there's the eastern segment which crosses the goose creek the western segment which is what attaches to cross trails and then the proposed middle segment which basically keeps contiguous cochran mills road the staff has recommended that we do away with the eastern segment but keep the modified planned segment in the center and the western segment and i'm fully

[03:18:41] in support of that and did i say any of that wrong there safe if i did no that's that's correct okay any questions for staff at all any comments supervisor i'm sorry uh just i'll i'll be supporting this um i want to thank supervisor turner for bringing it forward uh when he first initiated it i went to communities in my district that would be impacted and they were thrilled that we would be removing this segment so this has my full support thank you supervisor umstott

[03:19:19] seeing no further comments i have no closing comments all those in favor say aye aye any opposed that motion will pass 801 with chair randall off the board with that i'd like to ask uh supervisor briskman to read us into closed session item number one turner do you want sorry yeah do you want any board um that's right before we do that let's go to board comments thank you you very much, Mr. Amstreet. Board comments, please put your light on. Chair Reynolds seems to have a system for this, I do not. If you have any board comments?

[03:19:55] Supervisor, go ask. And disclosures, that's right. Disclosures. Disclosures. Yep, disclosures. Okay. On Wednesday, February 26, I met with representatives from Equinix to discuss a proposed Ashburn campus substation. On Wednesday, February 26, my staff met with Ben Wales to discuss the ledgy-2023-0053.

[03:20:23] that's it thank you very much advisor saints uh thank you vice chair turner mandatory disclosures on february 26th i spoke with colleen gillis and ben wales uh kerretta um and steve collins of sc development and the dallas town center owner shiren travelis about their legislative redevelopment for the dallas town center on february 25th my staff spoke with charles judd of jk land holdings about the Thayer Road Administrative Application.

[03:20:58] On March 4th, my staff spoke with Aaron Swishelm of Walsh Colucci about Zebra East Legislative Item, Application, excuse me. I want to thank everyone who came out tonight to talk about the Dominion Energy Transmission Lines.

[03:21:13] My staff will be attending tomorrow's Loudon Reliability Engagement Group meeting, and we will share updates with them at that meeting. We've constantly been and have engaged with Loudoun Valley Estates too for many months now regarding the power lines.

[03:21:30] I know recently, just actually this past Sunday, State Senator Sreenivasan and State Delegate Singh and our County Attorney Mr. Rogers attended a community meeting with the Loudoun Valley Estates this past Sunday to go over updates and give them updates on what we've been doing.

[03:21:51] Obviously, as everybody in the board knows and those who are the thousands watching at home, a few weeks back we did endorse two routes that were, you know, obviously a lot better than some of the other routes that are being proposed by Dominion.

[03:22:07] But, yes, naturally we would like to see undergrounding and we will continue to have conversation and meetings with Dominion and MOI and others involved to see if that is, if we can make that happen. but as Mr. Vice-Chair Turner mentioned to one of the gentlemen who spoke here today that you know ultimately the decision unfortunately does not lie with us but it lies with the the state corporation and we will continue to update the community and let them know when that time comes to be able to send their comments and speak in front of the the SCC when the when those hearings do

[03:22:46] happen but we will you know but hopefully the community knows and well We've been telling them we will continue to engage and come up with, you know, and advocate for the best routes, which we feel is undergrounding along 606 and the MWA property. So we'll continue to work on that. But I just want to reemphasize again that the ultimate decision does not lie with us, because we already know what our decision would be if it was with us.

[03:23:08] But we will continue to advocate and fight for our community to get the best route possible for the area. So thank you. Thank you, Supervisor Sainz. Supervisor Sainz and Supervisor Glastier, either of you had any nominations? Okay, great. For those of you remaining, please, if you have nominations, please include those in your board comments.

[03:23:27] Supervisor Letourneau. Thank you. Be really brief. I know most of the folks left, but I will just reiterate what Supervisor Sainz said. I used to represent a lot of this community. In fact, I had a child that attended Rosalie Carter Elementary School. So please understand, we're not the ones who want to do overhead power lines here.

[03:23:45] We want them underground, but it's not up to us, and there are technical and legal challenges that we've been grappling with and dealing with, so if that does not occur, it's not going to be for lack of effort on our part, but all of this energy here in the community should bottle up and head to the State Corporation Commission.

[03:24:08] They will have a hearing. I'm sure we will push for a local hearing so that residents can be heard locally. The hearing examiner will be there and record all of that. I found, at least in the Greenway public hearing process, that it was effective and that the residents, I think, made a difference.

[03:24:28] So, by all means, continue to exercise your voices and be part of that process, and we're going to do what we can. Obviously, understand for some in this particular community, the route that we endorse may not be the best one of that group.

[03:24:44] but when faced with a very difficult situation we looked at the least amount of impact for the greatest number of people and that's what the roots that we endorsed were that said our endorsement does not guarantee anything as we know so you know our ability to influence this process is is in doubt the other thing that's worth pointing out is this board did seek legislation to require data center operators to pay the cost differential of undergrounding power lines

[03:25:24] and that idea i think everybody here supported did not go anywhere in richmond this session and so continue to provide input to our state delegation as well i'm not blaming them but continue to provide that level of input as well because we did seek that solution since that is an obstacle to getting undergrounding as well as some of the technical issues that we have in this particular area so we're still working on it thank you super president eternal supervisor armstock

[03:25:56] thank you mr chair uh i had a meeting with representatives of arcola grove doug flight liz nicholson and brian winterhalter on february 28th and then i had a meeting on march 3rd with representatives of laws um samantha clark led that meeting i do not have any nominations

[03:26:27] but i do have one statement to make we have um we have been undergoing for about the last year a number of meetings where speakers came out very pro-palestinian speakers and not all but a good number of them um consistently made anti-semitic remarks so uh with the concurrence of members of

[03:26:57] our jewish community i wanted to remind folks what started the war between israel and hamas in gaza and it was on october 7th of 2023 that 1200 israelis and other citizens of the world including american citizens were mercilessly slaughtered in israel without warning and without mercy over 200 were then taken prisoner by hamas and taken into gaza where they were held

[03:27:36] These are three of them. This is the Bebas family, Sheree, the mom, 32 years old, Ariel, her four-year-old son, and Kafir, who was nine months old when they were kidnapped and taken from their home. Their father was also taken. Parents were killed. The little boys, within a month after having been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, were strangled to death,

[03:28:13] barehanded, and their bodies were mutilated. The mother was also killed at that time. This is what happened on October 7th, and this is what started this war. And I would just like to say, as a representative of the county, my heart continues to go out to the Bebas family and every family that was brutally attacked in Israel and the hostages who still remain in

[03:28:51] captivity by Hamas in Gaza. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Takroni. Thank you, Vice Chair Turner. My staff met with Ben Wells and Stephen and Rita Baker about the Magnolia Rose application on February 27th. I also want to thank the Loudoun Valley Estates community for coming out to speak. I actually have a portion of Loudoun Valley estates in the Little River District. I believe the Golden to Mars project for a 500 kV overhead transmission line will have an impact on that community and the

[03:29:27] nearby schools. The safety of the residents is my first priority. Like my colleagues, I support the undergrounding and will continue to advocate for a better route where we can underground, but I do agree that the decision does not lie with us. It's with the state SEC, state corporation, well, SEC.

[03:29:50] So, I would like to give the community as much information as possible when we get it, and I'll be letting people know when there's an opportunity to engage with the SEC. On a different topic, I want to encourage everybody to have lunch at Hammerdown in Aldi, off Route 50. I had the pleasure of meeting chef Ken and his delightful daughter Morgan and owner Brad Juno. This is an excellent family restaurant with delicious barbecue and mac and cheese. We're going to have it at T-Luck in

[03:30:23] April. And this business has really been negatively impacted by the Route 50 Roundabout project. So they're open and you can get to their parking by going on Trailhead. There's a side entrance and I just would encourage everyone to grab your friends and family and to have a great lunch or dinner at Hammerdown Barbecue.

[03:30:47] As just a bit of information, on March 26 at 6 o'clock p.m., there will be a third in-person public meeting on the Route 50 safety and operations study. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, well, I said March 26, and it will be at the Middleburg Charter School.

[03:31:05] So it will be an opportunity for people to come out and give their input on that study thank you thank you uh supervisor kershner thank you vice chair i want to associate myself with supervisor umstead's comments um it's been a long time coming and obviously these are not issues that we deal with a lot on this board but at some point these things need to be said and i appreciate her pointing out the obvious and being bold about that and i certainly support her in those comments i want to also associate myself with Supervisor Letourneau's comments concerning the power lines. I think at one time in my

[03:31:40] career I ran one of the largest grassroots networks in America, one of the most impactful and effective ones that used to generate tremendous amount of pressure on Congress, and we moved a lot of bills that way. And sometimes I'm encouraged by people coming out and sharing much of what they have. I would also encourage them to direct as much as possible, although it's always good for us to hear some for things that we don't ultimately have a lot of control over, can have influence on, as was suggested by Supervisor Turner, to redirect much of those efforts to those who can actually ultimately make those decisions.

[03:32:18] And so if we took all the energy that was in this room and, as was suggested, focused it towards the SEC and their upcoming hearings, et cetera, I think, quite frankly, it would be far more impactful and could potentially turn the tide in terms of undergrounding much of those power lines, et cetera. The other comment I'd like to make, I know we're in the middle of budget season. I didn't get a chance to really respond to this, but there were some comments made about how the headlines on our taxes, quite frankly, should be that we have lowered the tax rate. But what was failed to be said during those comments on

[03:32:55] this board, I think as Brisbane made, I'm not necessarily calling her out because other supervisors had said it many other times as well, and that is we have lowered the tax rate. Look at us. Look how well we're doing. But the truth of the matter is that doesn't reduce the amount of taxes. As a matter of fact, the taxes have gone up, and each of the average taxpayer in Loudoun County now pays $1,320 more per year out of their pocket since 2020, and those numbers have been significantly higher, about $1,600 in the last three years. I'm glad where we are right now on the TOTE board, and that is we're actually below the real property equalized rate.

[03:33:34] But I think it's a red herring to suggest, well, we've lowered the tax rate. That doesn't really help average working families on a day-to-day basis when, oh, I got to pay a tax bill that's an extra couple hundred bucks this year than it was the year before, just because even though my tax rate went down, that doesn't really make a difference.

[03:33:50] So I just wanted to help keep that in perspective. I wanted to use this opportunity during my board comments to point that out and to continue to encourage this board to really sharpen our pencils. I'm really proud of the direction we are headed this year. I think we're doing a much better job. Obviously, we have had tremendous revenue from a number of different sources, and hopefully we can keep that going in the years to come. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. The county's first Taco Bamba opened, yes, in Algonquian District and Cascades Marketplace last week. My staff and I enjoyed their opening

[03:34:26] day, some tacos, and so I highly encourage folks to go visit over there. It was delicious. We went over there after spending about three hours in Cascades Library doing community office hours, and we heard a myriad of issues, traffic, safety, schools, budget, data centers, power lines, But several folks really just needed a therapy session almost because of what's going on on the national scene and what's going on in this new administration.

[03:35:03] And the gaslighting, the tone policing, and the bullying behavior that we saw last week in the People's White House is beyond the pale. We have a Russian asset in the White House. I am appalled that we are failing our allies, and we are failing to support the fight for democratic values across the world that we claim to cherish.

[03:35:27] We had a generation of soldiers die 85 years ago in the name of making sure that Europeans and the world are free of dictatorship. And the man in our White House and his cronies are reversing that right now in front of our very eyes.

[03:35:47] They are reversing course, and they are victim-blaming a country that has been on the front lines fighting for democracy for three years. It's disgusting. I spent the afternoon today visiting with our federal congressional delegation.

[03:36:08] That's why I was a little bit late to the meeting. Apologies for that, colleagues. We talked about the normal things. We talked about, Supervisor and I brought forth important issues such as tax exemption for municipal bonds that could force localities to be spending a lot more money and interest when we're trying to build infrastructure in schools.

[03:36:31] We talked about metro funding. We talked about federal reimbursement status for hotel stays in Loudoun County, an issue that we've been talking about for years. But mostly we advocated for our citizens, who stand to feel the brunt of indiscriminate downsizing and canceling of funding for critical services across the country, and especially for our citizens.

[03:36:55] Services like SNAP, WIC, TANF, Title I schools, Medicaid, and much, much more. Mr. Hemstreet told me earlier this week that we process hundreds of millions of dollars in payments to our residents through the county from federal funding.

[03:37:15] We're not even sure if people are going to be there in the federal government to send us that money anymore. That puts our residents and citizens at severe risk. I am confident that Senator Cain, Senator Warner, Congressman Subramanian are fighting for us every day in Congress.

[03:37:35] The one thing that they did ask for was that if you have a personal story, you have a family member that has a personal story impacted by the firings, impacted by halting of funding, that you come to us and we can direct you to them or you just go directly to their office.

[03:37:55] because in doing this, they want to personalize and humanize the civil service and the benefits of programs that have been funded by Congress. And by the way, these are benefits mostly, not entitlements, funded by Congress.

[03:38:12] And many in Congress believe, and constitutional scholars believe, that defunding these programs and firing all these people is unconstitutional. We can only hope that the courts agree, and that they believe in the Constitution, and that they believe in the separation of powers.

[03:38:34] From the Gun Violence Archive, we have had 45 mass shootings so far in 2025. Homicides and murders total 2,381. We have lost 163 teens ages 12 to 17 to gun violence, and we have lost 46 children ages 0 to 11 to gun violence.

[03:38:53] Thank you, Vice Chair. Thank you. Supervisor Kirshner has some nominations. Yes, I apologize. I did have one disclosure and one nomination. I forgot. On Monday, March 3rd, my staff and I met with Data Center Coalition to discuss data center standards and location, CPAM and ZOAM. And then my nomination is to nominate Nancy Nicholson to the Catoctin District Representative on the Commission on Aging. Thank you.

[03:39:14] Thank you. We will now read into closed session number one and have dinner in closed session, and then we'll come out. And when we come out of closed session, we'll tackle item number eight. regarding item number eight um i heard a lot of comments tonight that we're not we're thinking a lot about the data center community where we're not really not thinking about our residents let me be absolutely clear we're considering uh an initiative tonight that will make it required that every data center built in lauda county from now on comes before this board for approval if that's not working to help the residents of this county i don't know what is

[03:39:52] this is a fast-moving train that's been moving for 20 years and we are now saying it's time for us to manage this process uh differently than we have been managing it um so we are focused on that the issue is how do you stop the train do you grandfather yes or no if the answer is yes by a majority of the board members what are the criteria by which you grandfather what are the dates what are the what are the parameters around that grandfathering all of those discussions are very difficult discussions they're very complex this is a multi-billion dollar industry here in loudon county and we have to do this very carefully and very thoughtfully and that's what we are

[03:40:32] about to start start in earnest we have been doing in earnest for some time but we have tonight is a pivotal tonight and item number eight will be an important discussion but i urge everybody try not to take the simplistic view on or off yes or no that's much more complex than that and we have good people on this board and very very good people on county staff who have worked through a very complex issue and and we're going to take that up in earnest tonight so we will uh we will go into closed session and um i had one other thing i wanted to say and i can't remember what it was so supervisor briscoe if you can read us into closed session please sure thing i move that

[03:41:09] the board of supervisors recess this public meeting and enter into closed session pursuant to section 2.2-37118 of the Code of Virginia to consult with legal counsel regarding legal considerations concerning grandfathering of data centers, standards, and locations, a specific legal matter requiring the provision of legal advice of counsel. Is there a second? Second by Supervisor Letourneau. All in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? That motion will pass 801. Chair Randall off the dais.

[03:41:44] We are in closed session. Thank you all. We are back. Supervisor Rischmann,

[05:03:36] will you please read us out of closed session? Yes. I move that the closed session be adjourned, that the Board of Supervisors reconvenes its public meeting, that the minutes of the public meeting should reflect that no formal action was taken in closed session, and further move that the resolution certifying the closed session should be adopted and reflected in the minutes of this public meeting is there a second second by supervisor glass uh all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed that motion will pass 801 with chair randall off the dais please affirm

[05:04:08] supervisor grass affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm affirm thank you all very much and with that we will proceed with item number eight and staff it is your mic go ahead um good evening Supervisors, my name is Abdul Jaffrey, project manager for this project. I'm joined here with our department director Dan Galindo and also Carlos from county attorney's office as well as

[05:04:45] Mr. Reiser from department of economic development. I'm here this evening to present item number eight, data center standards and location CPAM and ZOAM phase one. We will begin by explaining the purpose of tonight's meeting and providing a brief explanation of the approval process for the legislative and administrative applications. Next, we'll review the applications affected by the proposed grandfathering resolution. We will then discuss a proposed zoning text

[05:05:18] amendments allowing site plan modifications. And finally, we will conclude with our recommendations. So the purpose, we're here tonight to seek your directions on two items. First, a draft grandfathering resolutions that would enable legislative and administrative data center applications officially accepted for review by February 12, 2025 to continue to be processed under the land use and development regulations applicable at a time of their acceptance. And two, we seek your

[05:05:52] direction on proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance table 3.0205-1 that would permit revisions to data center site plans without requiring a special approval, special exception approval. This slide provides a high-level overview of Loudoun County's development approval continuum, which is relevant to our discussions on the draft grandfathering resolution and its impact on various applications. In Loudoun County, line-use applications generally follow two distinct processes, legislative and administrative, as outlined on the screen.

[05:06:31] On legislative application process, the legislative applications include special exceptions, zoning and zoning concept plan amendments. If a use is designated as a special exception use in a zoning district as proposed in this ZOAM, it is considered a discretionary use. It must go through both legislative and administrative approval process. Legislative applications are reviewed carefully to ensure they fit within the desired character of the area and do not negatively impact surrounding properties. They also require public hearing before both the

[05:07:10] Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors, allowing input from property owners, stakeholders, and the community. Board approval is required before proceeding to the administrative process. Various types of legislative applications are discussed in the staff report. On the administrative application process, they apply to buy right uses for projects that have already secured legislative approval. Examples include site plan and site plan modifications. County staff reviews these applications for compliance with zoning and building regulations. No board approval

[05:07:49] is required. Once approved, the process moves forward with the zoning permit, building permit, and ultimately occupancy permit. For by-right data center applications under administrative process, the board does not have direct oversight. However, all data center applications, whether permitted by right or by special exception must adhere to the existing use specific standards in the zoning ordinance this slide provides an overview of the legislative and administrative

[05:08:27] applications currently under review to inform the board's decision on the draft grandfathering resolution a total of 41 applications are under review 20 through the legislative process and 21 through the administrative process. Of the 20 legislative applications, six were submitted and accepted before the adoptions of the new zoning ordinance and are therefore grandfathered under the existing ZOR provisions. The remaining 14 legislative applications required board approval.

[05:09:01] Those that receive approval would be grandfathered under the proposed draft grandfathering resolutions. To reiterate, only 14 of the 20 legislative applications are subject to the draft grandfathering resolutions. This slide provides a breakdown of the 21 administrative applications currently under review and would be grandfathered under draft grandfathering resolution. As shown, these applications are at various stages of review, with majority of them

[05:09:36] in the first submission stage. At the public hearing on February 12, 2025, the Board of Supervisors discussed the possibility of allowing minor modifications to data center site plans without requiring a special exception based on the Planning Commission's recommendation.

[05:09:58] As part of Phase 1 of this project, staff is proposing a footnote amendment to Table 3.0205-1 of the Zoning Ordinance. The proposed footnote states, notwithstanding Section 1.02E.2, a site plan or a site plan amendment application for minor changes to an approved site plan for a data center may be permitted without the special exception. Such minor changes are subject to the provisions of section 10.11.0.H. This amendment

[05:10:32] allows data center site plan applications the same flexibility granted to previously approved specs uses under section 10.11.0.H of the zoning ordinance, which I will discuss in more details in the next slide. Without this footnote, even minor modifications to approve site plans would require a new special exception approval, leading to delays and procedural burdens.

[05:10:59] This amendment ensures a more streamlined and efficient process for data center development while maintaining appropriate regulatory oversight. This slide outlines the minor changes allowed under section 10.11.0.1.h, which includes addition of accessory structures that are clearly subordinate to the approved special exception use, realignment of principal building and parking areas within an approved building envelope, or minor addition to principal

[05:11:35] buildings and corresponding additions to parking areas are allowed if the total expansion does not exceed five percent of the existing gross floor area nor exceed maximum permitted floor area for the zoning district for clarity the approved building envelope will be considered the buildable area of the parcel that is within the setbacks our recommendation is that the board endorse a grandfathering resolutions for zoom 2024-001 including an effective date and its applicability

[05:12:13] to in process legislative and administrative applications and incorporate proposed proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance table 3.0205.1 that would permit minor site plan modification without a special exception approval and direct staff to incorporate those revisions to this cpam 2024-01 and so on 2024-01 and the draft grandfathering resolution and return to march 2018-2025 board business meeting for action this concludes our presentation staff is here to answer

[05:12:48] your question thank you thank you staff very much um colleagues what i propose is to go right into the motions um and you can ask your questions of staff in the motions if unless there's objection to that supervisor carney your lights on do you have a question supervisor crony oh sorry okay i'm gonna dive right into the motions and we have four grandfathering motions i will read the motion i will enter and we'll get a second and then we'll begin the discussion and i will entertain amendments language amendments to each of those motions we will vote on each of those amendments

[05:13:25] until we have an approved possibly amended possibly not motion motion number one for grandfathering i move that the board of supervisors direct staff to return to the march 18th 2025 board of supervisors business meeting with a grandfathering resolution reflecting that affected administrative applications formally accepted for review on or before february 12 2025 will be grandfathered if the data center use that is the subject of the administrative application is more than 500 feet from residential uses and provided the administrative application

[05:14:00] is diligently pursued to approval with no substantial modifications being made to it second by supervisor laterno thank you all very much i don't have a lot to say about that i think uh what this one essentially does is if you if you've submitted an administrative application that has been accepted then you're a grandfather on or before february 12th it's pretty straightforward and uh i think it's in alignment with um our previous discussions and with the i believe with the planning commission recommendation don't hold me to that um any

[05:14:40] comments or questions uh that's it for my opening remarks supervisor ducrony uh thank you vice Chair Turner. So I won't be supporting this motion. I don't support grandfathering resolutions on buy-write applications. The public has been asking us to improve transparency and to negotiate better standards and minimize impacts. So there are 21 applications. I want

[05:15:13] to make it clear there are 21 by right applications that would be grandfathered with this motion. We don't have to do grandfathering. Most zoning ordinances don't have grandfathering. And remember the most generous grandfathering was the 2023 ZOR that we just did and a lot of the applications, a lot of the by right applications for data centers are grandfathered in the 1993 zoning ordinance, so they're already grandfathered, they wouldn't be subject to this data center, ZOAM, and CPAM.

[05:15:49] I believe vested rights are sufficient in this case, and a vested right would be site plan approval, and, you know, I think that would, you know, if they're not vested, then I believe these applications need to come before the Board of Supervisors, and it'll give the public an opportunity to have involvement and also allow us to approve the standards.

[05:16:14] So I won't be approving, I won't be supporting this motion. Thank you. Thank you. Supervisor Coney, Supervisor Letourneau. Thank you. I second the motion. I will support it. I think it's important to note that there's a clause in this motion, which obviously Supervisor Letourneau read, that is the subject of the administrative applications more than 500 feet from residential uses.

[05:16:36] So that essentially means that data centers that are closer or within that 500 feet for residential will not be grandfathered in. That is where the conflict points have been most acute in the county. I do think that, similar to the discussion we had around the zoning ordinance, there is a simple fairness discussion around when we should actually enact these things.

[05:16:59] If an applicant or if a developer has followed the rules that are in front of them at the time and filed an application to that point, it's difficult for me to say then that halfway through they have to stop and go back because we decided to change the rules.

[05:17:17] That's why you have grandfathering. I think I'm not going to discuss it in detail, but I think there is vulnerability for the county without grandfathering. certainly higher risk that the entire ordinance is not able to be implemented and executed and so therefore i will support uh the application uh the this particular motion thank you supervisor um stop uh thank you mr chair i appreciate um uh supervisor turner's going to all the effort he

[05:17:51] did today to get these motions before the board tonight I I would echo a lot of what supervisor Letourneau just said about fundamental fairness I don't think you should change the rules in the middle of the game and I would say that regardless of which applicant or what type of applicant was before the board

[05:18:17] But making this fundamental a change to our rules, disallowing by right data centers where they have been allowed, I think is fundamentally unfair.

[05:18:33] And I think the one thing that saves it from being completely unjustified is a grandfathering clause. This is especially critical, I think, when we're dealing with the one industry that is almost entirely supporting this county.

[05:18:55] And I want to make sure that the data center industry understands that some of us on the board recognize that everything we do, everything we do is fundamentally dependent on uh their willingness to give us over a billion dollars a year in revenue no other sector of the economy uh does that and there's no chance in the next several years at least that there

[05:19:29] will be any sector that can meet that kind of um dedication to this county and its fiscal health. So I'm very happy to support this. If there is a motion by one of my colleagues to amend that date from February 12th to March 18th, I certainly would support that. Thank you.

[05:19:54] Thank you. Supervisor Kirshner. Thank you. Well, I'm one of those colleagues that'd like to make that amendment, but before I do, I'd just like a couple comments. I appreciate what Supervisor Unstead has shared here, and I do think that there's always a balance in all of this process. I'm not a huge fan of the process that we've gone through here. I do understand some of the concerns and some of the problems. I think a lot of the data that's out there and a lot of what's being said about the environmental concerns, the air pollution, the water concerns, I'll get into those later. I've done a lot of research on them. They're quite frankly bunk in terms of our

[05:20:28] data centers. But I agree with a lot of the visual impacts that are concerned. I agree with being near residential. And those things I think we have addressed in large part. So I understand in part what some of the board members are trying to do. With that said, I also agree that our data center industry have been tremendous partners over the last 10 years. They are the one industry that has made us the highest per household income in the nation. And quite frankly, the wealthiest

[05:21:00] tax base in the nation. And so I think when we undertake an effort to basically control the whole industry and how they're built, we have to be cautious about it. And I do think that the date that we've chosen, February 12th, although much better than with some earlier proposed dates, we should choose a date that's far more consistent with how we passed the zoning ordinance rewrite date, which was the date of adoption. I think it's more consistent. I think there are a few applications that have worked really hard as this has come through some of us know about and we've

[05:21:37] received letters we heard mr from mr minchu learner themselves they will have completed that administrative application for example prior to the march 18th but may have not made it there and i will note if you read their letter today they are not near any residential so we won't need to ultimately be concerned with that so i would i'm not going to ask for a friendly because i don't know if it would be accepted, but I would ask. And I want to point out one other thing, the expense that's undertaken, the idea that, oh, well, if you're not vested, then you shouldn't be approved. I mean, it's easy to kind of scoff at other people's spending, but it's hundreds of

[05:22:17] thousands of dollars that go through this process. And what people don't understand is what they have to do to get this application done. They have to have done a survey, a geotech report, phase one environmental report cultural resource investigation local evaluation okay so my amendment would be to change it amendments five five seconds so I'm just saying that there's a tremendous amount of expense time effort by an industry which is quite frankly enriched us and yes I understand the concerns on one side that I mentioned but the concerns on the other side are also be deferential I think we should follow our precedent so I would make the motion I I would make the amendment to change it to March 18th, 2025.

[05:22:56] And a motion made to amend to March 18th, 2025, seconded by Supervisor Umstadt. Discussion on the amendment. Accepted as a friend of the two of you. I'm not going to accept it. He's not going to accept it. Okay, sorry. Discussion on the amendment. Sorry.

[05:23:12] Your light's on. You do the job. Okay. No discussion on the amendment. All those in favor of the amendment, say aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. No. No. That motion will fail. Two, six. The ayes were Supervisor Umstadt and Supervisor Kirshner.

[05:23:29] We are back to the base motion of, as read, with a February 12, 2025 date. Any other discussion on that motion? I have no, oh, I'm sorry, Supervisor Riskin. Thank you. So Virginia law says that vested in this case is approval, not submission of a site plan, not the third submission of a site plan, not the fourth submission, not conditional approval, but approval.

[05:23:53] That is what Virginia law says. If this motion passes, we are basically saying, voting yes, on 21 data centers in Loudoun County. Right now, we have the opportunity to say no to 21 new data centers in Loudoun County.

[05:24:14] Our community, we have been saying that we want to have managerial control over the data center industry since 2021. The idea that it's not fair that folks weren't watching what we're doing here is bunk, honestly.

[05:24:34] This came to the Transportation Land Use Committee in April of 2022. It came to the board business meeting in February 21, 2023. It went to a board business meeting on February 6, April 16, July 2, 2024. It came to a planning commission public hearing September 24, 2024.

[05:24:51] It finally came out of the planning commission work session after three, no, four work sessions in the planning commission. It came out on December 12th, 2024. Our community has been begging us to do something.

[05:25:12] And tonight is our opportunity. Yes, we did a lot of great work in the zoning ordinance rewrite. Yes, we put some controls. Yes, we appreciate the revenue that's generated. It has been very beneficial to our county.

[05:25:28] but our community is begging us voting no on data centers does start to stop power lines from coming through here we do have community members concerned about the pollution we have fatigue just general visual fatigue from data centers we are to the point of becoming fiscally irresponsible because of the amount of revenue the data centers are bringing into our county we have got to diversify our revenue voting tonight to approve 21 more data centers when we have the chance to vote no

[05:26:05] i think is irresponsible and not serving our constituents i will be voting no on this motion and i i'm i disagree that it's not fair investing involves the risk of loss thank you thank you my closing comments to just be absolutely precise um voting yes or no on this is not voting yes or no on 21 data centers voting yes on this ordinance means that 21 data centers will continue with the process they've entered voting no on this application simply means the same 21 applications will go through a legislative process and come back to us where they may or may not be voted down

[05:26:45] so this is not a yes or no vote on 21 data centers that's really i have to say by point of clarification with that i will call the vote on this motion all those in favor please say aye aye all those opposed say no okay that motion will pass the basic motion grandfathering motion number one will pass six two the two no's being supervisor to crony and supervisor briskman were you a no i'm sorry it was three so it was five three i apologize five three uh five three one one uh supervisor glass

[05:27:22] supervisor briskman and supervisor to crony voting no that motion will pass grandfathering motion number two i move that the board of supervisors direct staff to return to the march 18th 2025 board of supervisors business meeting with a grandfathering resolution reflecting that affected legislative applications formally accepted for review on or before february 12 2025 will be grandfathered provided the legislative application is diligently pursued to approval with no substantial modifications being made to it uh her second from supervisor briskman

[05:27:59] just opening comments um this is pretty straightforward we're basically saying legislative applications that have been formally accepted which we are going to see anyway prior to february 12th do not need to have a special exception attached uh other comments on this motion supervisor saints well thank you vice chair turner i'd like to make an alternative motion okay all right it's uh i'll move that the board of supervisors direct staff to to return to the march 18 2025 board of supervisors business meeting with with grand filing resolution reflected reflecting that affected legislation applications formally accepted for review on or before february

[05:28:38] 12 2025 will be grandfathered other than zoning conversions in the route 28 tax district and provided the legislative application is diligently pursued to approval with no substantial modifications being made to it. That's an amendment that has been moved and seconded by Supervisor Briskman. Opening statement on the amendment, Supervisor Saints.

[05:29:01] Thank you Vice Chair Turner. With my substitute motion we will have anything that's in the Route 28 tax district come in front of the board for for approval. I feel that is something we need to do. Thank you. Okay any other comments on the amendment? Supervisor Armstead. Mr. Chair I have another amendment to offer whenever you want to take it up uh is it an amendment to the current amendment we're discussing or do you want to have this one finalized and then make your amendment uh i suspect we should vote on supervisor sane's amendment that's fine i'll entertain another

[05:29:38] amendment that's fine any other discussions on supervisor sane's amendment uh seeing none all those in favor please say aye can you raise your hand if you said aye uh you're right thank you we have four eyes on supervisor sayings this amendment those voting no please raise your hand four that's a four four vote so that motion will fail on a tie four four um and we are back to the original motion and now supervisor umstadt i will uh take your amendment thank you mr chair i would

[05:30:17] like to move that we amend the date February 12th, 2025 to March 18th, 2025 for the same reasons stated in the previous motion. I'll second that.

[05:30:32] Moved by Supervisor Emstatt and seconded by Supervisor Kirschner to change the date to March 18th, 2025. Discussion on the amendment, Supervisor Emstatt? I think I made myself clear earlier, so I don't need to take up time, but I just think this setting the March 18th date sets a better pattern, given that when we've done this kind of action in the past, we generally choose the grandfathering date to be the date of approval, which would be March 18th.

[05:31:11] Thank you. Thank you. Other comments? Seeing none. All those in favor of Supervisor Umstadt's amendment to change the date, please say aye. Those opposed? Nay. That motion will fail to 6. We are back to the basic motion again as read, and I'm going to read it again so everybody's clear. I move that the Board of Supervisors direct staff to return to the March 18, 2025 Board of Supervisors business meeting with a grandfathering resolution reflecting that affected legislative applications formally accepted for review on or

[05:31:50] before February 12, 2025 will be grandfathered provided the legislative application is diligently pursued to approval with no substantial modifications being made to it. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. We already discussed. I'm sorry. We already discussed. I'll open it up for more discussion if anybody would like to. I just reread number two. Yeah, yeah, I apologize. I want it clear but he realized what the language was that we settled on after the two amendments all those in favor please say aye aye those opposed nays please raise your hand

[05:32:28] okay thank you very much that motion will pass six two one uh i'll get back to that third motion for grandfathering i i move that the board of supervisors direct staff to return to the march 18th 2025 board of supervisors business meeting with a grandfathering resolution reflecting that it's paragraph number six was modified so that a substantial modification includes changing or adding proposed uses or changing or increasing the land area subject to application second by

[05:33:05] supervisor sayings discussion on the motion uh i think this one is pretty self-explanatory is read i don't have any other additional comments and opening any other comments or questions for staff seeing none all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed that motion will pay that motion will pass seven uh seven seven seven zero uh seven yeah seven zero one one that's correct seven zero one one grandfathering motion number four i move that the board of supervisors direct

[05:33:44] staff to return to the march 18th 2025 board of supervisors business meeting with further revisions to attachment two of the march 4th 2025 board of supervisors business meeting action item reflecting that affected legislative applications approved after december 13th 2023 are deemed to include an approved special exception for data center use second by supervisor umstat discussion we picked this one up because basically we wanted to go back and grab legislative applications that have been approved that we have already seen that we have discussed that are not a surprise

[05:34:20] subsequent to the zoning ordinance rewrite on december 13th and that's all i have for an opening comment any questions other concerns on this motion seeing none all those in favor please say aye aye any opposed that motion will pass that motion will pass 7-0-1-1 any other questions or comments from staff any other questions or comments from we still have to do the packet motion right on the overall no no these replaced the packet motion everything i believe staff i'm correct right yes you don't

[05:34:58] need the packet motion no okay point of uh point of yeah point of clarification yeah vice chair turner yeah so i was going to say so everything we voted on tonight gives direction to staff to double check fine-tune everything then they'll come back on the march 18th for final final correct right vote is that correct yes okay thank you okay any other comments or questions thank you staff very much this was hard work i really do appreciate it was extremely good good work i appreciate it thank you colleagues very difficult issue thank you take care and good Good night.

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