Our Region

PEC focuses on nine counties and one city in the northern Piedmont of Virginia: Albemarle, Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock.

We also team with local organizations to promote thriving communities and healthy natural resources in a much larger region, including the Shenandoah Valley, the central Piedmont, and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Corridor. In addition, we are proud to serve as fiscal sponsor of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, an organization that focuses on land use and policy in the greater Washington D.C. area.

Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Gigaland Data Center Project in Remington, but It Could Still Get Approved

Planning Commission Recommends Denial of Gigaland Data Center Project in Remington, but It Could Still Get Approved

On Wednesday, June 18, the Fauquier County Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend that the seven-building, 2.2-million-square-foot data center campus known as “Gigaland” be denied. Although the recommendation to deny is a positive result, the Board of Supervisors can still approve this project at the regular Board meeting on September 11.

Take Action: Make Free Bridge Lane Permanently Car-free

The Free Bridge Lane storywalk is just one of the quick improvements to pop up on Free Bridge Lane. You can share your ideas here. Photo by Peter Krebs/PEC.

Late last year, Albemarle County closed Free Bridge Lane to automobile traffic, creating a safe, riverside space for walking, running, and biking. At its August 6 meeting, the Board of Supervisors will get a report and begin discussing making the arrangement permanent.

Free Bridge Lane meets a critical need in our community: it is ideal for novices and people with mobility challenges and it is walking distance from multiple neighborhoods in both the City and the County. It provides the kind of everyday access to nature that we talk about all the time.

Please sign PEC’s petition requesting the following: 1) finalize the road closure, 2) fund and build a first wave of safety, access and environmental improvements, and 3) budget in coming years to construct the proposed promenade. We will forward the petition to County leaders when the time comes.

You can share your ideas for improvements, projects, activities, or events for Free Bridge Lane or contact the Board of Supervisors directly to thank them for the trial and urge them to expand it.

Data Centers: Industry Impacts In Virginia

Data Centers: Industry Impacts In Virginia

Virginia holds the largest global concentration of data centers anywhere in the world. This multibillion-dollar industry requires huge amounts of energy, land, and water, resulting in widespread community impacts. Without swift intervention, data centers in the Commonwealth will derail critical climate goals and efforts to improve air and water quality, advance land conservation, and protect national and state parks.

A Conversation on Trails and Connectivity

A Conversation on Trails and Connectivity

While conserving the verdant landscapes of Virginia’s Piedmont is foundational to The Piedmont Environmental Council’s mission, making the outdoors accessible to everyone has become an equally vital goal. Over the past few years, we have deliberately integrated trail development into our broader conservation mission, protecting strategic properties that can serve as trail corridors or public access points to create lasting places and ways for people to experience the Piedmont’s natural beauty firsthand.

Support Loudoun’s Agricultural Businesses! Weigh in on ABC Licensed Uses that Impact Farmers and Residents

Support Loudoun’s Agricultural Businesses! Weigh in on ABC Licensed Uses that Impact Farmers and Residents

June 18 meeting canceled – Loudoun County staff and Supervisors have been working hard since last November on the update to the Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan for Western Loudoun. On date TBD and July 16 at 5 p.m. in the main board room at the County Government Center, the Transportation and Land Use Committee will hold its fourth and fifth stakeholder work sessions for the Western Loudoun ordinance and comprehensive plan update. These two sessions will cover the regulations and standards surrounding the ABC licensed businesses of Western Loudoun, including wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries.