The following text was sent out via email on December 7, 2022. Sign up for PEC email alerts →
Dear Supporter,
I’m emailing today to share some new information and ways you can get involved with the Amazon data center and boundary line adjustment proposals in Warrenton.
Data center proposal
Since we last updated you on the proposed Amazon data center in Warrenton, the Town Planning Commission heard the Special Use Permit application and tabled any decision on the data center until it receives more information on several “incomplete” aspects of the application. However, the following week, the Town Attorney rebuked the decision, and now the Town Council plans to determine how the application is to proceed at its next regular meeting on Dec. 13.
A vote from the Town Council will not take place at this meeting; however, it appears the application will be returned to the Planning Commission for a recommendation of approval or denial. If no recommendation is made, the Town Council will vote on the application without one. Earlier this week, the Town sent out a public notice of the regularly scheduled Planning Commission public hearing for Dec. 20 with the Amazon special use permit on the agenda. If you did not speak at the Nov. 15 public hearing, we encourage you to submit written letters and come out to show your opposition.
We continue to ask the Planning Commission to recommend denial, as this application is highly impactful and incomplete, and it remains unclear where the substation will be built and where transmission lines will be needed.
After its near-unanimous opposition to the Amazon data center at the last Planning Commission public hearing, the message from the community is clear: the Town should vote no on this proposal!
Boundary line adjustment
Meanwhile, discussions on the Warrenton boundary line adjustment continue. The Town County Liaison Committee had an initial discussion on the boundary line adjustment at its quarterly meeting on Nov. 30.
Following review of an analysis prepared by Fauquier County, a number of questions regarding land use and zoning authority, revenue implications to both the Town and the County, and the service obligations of both bodies were brought forward. Above all, the County expressed its desire for more information on the Town’s plans and goals in pursuing a more than 60 percent increase in land area. These concerns are likely to be followed up on at the next scheduled Town County Liaison Meeting on Feb. 22, 2023, at 21 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia 20186.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions leading up to this month’s two public hearings on the Amazon data center or regarding the boundary line adjustment.
Sincerely,
Kevin Kask, AICP
Fauquier County Field Representative
kkask@pecva.org
540-347-2334 ext. 7046