A series of short updates from around the PEC region – Albemarle & Charlottesville, Clarke, Culpeper, Fauquier, Greene, Loudoun, Madison, Orange & Rappahannock.
Data centers
“PW Digital Gateway” Public Hearing on Sept. 14
The countdown toward one of the most important decisions for the future of Prince William County, and the region as a whole, has begun. The Prince William County Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the Digital Gateway Comprehensive Plan Amendment this coming Wednesday, Sept. 14.
Resources from Warrenton Town Hall Meeting August 10, 2022
On August 10, 2022 the local citizen group Protect Fauquier and nonprofit organizations Citizens for Fauquier County and Piedmont Environmental Council hosted a community town hall to highlight our concerns regarding the data center and its broader impacts and to share actions residents can take to oppose the proposal.
Town Hall: Amazon Data Center and Dominion Transmission Line
Join local community groups, The Piedmont Environmental Council, Protect Fauquier and Citizens for Fauquier County for a town hall forum on the Amazon data center proposal at Blackwell Rd. in Warrenton and the associated Dominion substation and 230-kV transmission lines that would be required to serve the facility if approved by Warrenton Town Council.
Three local groups unite against proposed Amazon data center and associated transmission line
The local citizen group Protect Fauquier and nonprofit organizations Citizens For Fauquier County (CFFC) and The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) are united against Amazon’s proposed data center project near Blackwell Road. The data center would sit at the northern gateway into Warrenton, along with a new Dominion electric substation, and would require miles of new high voltage transmission lines supported by 110-feet-tall steel towers, according to Dominion Energy.
Amazon and Dominion Set Sights on Warrenton
Two of the biggest corporate interests in Virginia have eyes on Warrenton. Late in 2021, Amazon bought a 41-acre parcel for a potential new data center, and has since submitted a “load letter” to Dominion Energy.
Data Center and Transmission Line Updates
Amazon filed an application for a data center with the Town of Warrenton; Dominion is moving forward with public meetings.
Regional traffic congestion, pollution in the Occoquan?
Last November, PEC wrote about the threats posed to Prince William County’s long-standing Rural Crescent by three major land use decisions.
Prince William County Considers Land Use Changes That Encourage Sprawl
Prince William County is evaluating three different land use changes that would introduce industrial and residential sprawl into the Rural Crescent, to the detriment of water quality, wildlife habitat, agriculture, historic resources, tourism and the rural atmosphere.
True North Developer Requests Changes
The proffer adjustments would help limit harm to a globally-rare ecological community called the Northern Piedmont Mafic Barren.