From hospital to neighborhood to data center — the 57-acre parcel of land along Broadlands Boulevard at Belmont Ridge Road has seen a lot of proposals come and go, but it looks like years of debate may have reached an end.
CyrusOne, a major player in Loudoun’s data center industry, has announced that it has purchased the land at the prominent Ashburn intersection and plans to build a data center there.
The land — on a tree-covered hillside to the west of Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm and the Loudoun Public Schools admin building — was originally owned by a subsidiary of HCA, a major hospital operator. The hope was to build a hospital or medical facility on the land.
However, that reportedly didn’t sit well with some residents in the area and the facility never got the green light.
From there, data center builders started sniffing around, but local leaders felt something with a residential component was a better fit for that corner and, eventually, the land was sold to some developers.
These new owners proposed Hyde Park, a neighborhood with 700+ homes. But again, some local residents expressed concern — worried that the addition of thousands of new residents would negatively impact traffic, schools and other aspects of the community.
Also, the housing market has softened in Loudoun, making a huge new residential development less appealing to the builders.
So, now CyrusOne has stepped in and acquired the land. A data center is already permitted under the current zoning — so there shouldn’t be any major obstacles. After years of discussion and false starts, it looks like the fate of one of the last big suburban parcels in Ashburn is settled.
Every available square foot of undeveloped land will become a data center at some point.
Great, just what we need, more data centers especially next to a residential area like that. Well those that complained about the potential hospital going in or the residential neighborhood should enjoy looking at another unsightly data center.
Well, the upside is that every data center pays much higher property taxes than residential development. And with very little impact on traffic patterns, and without adding anymore kids to the school system. So, take the bad with the good. Your property taxes are lower than most, because these entities make up the difference.
Well. All the folks that didn’t want a hospital or more housing can have a data center. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.
Loudoun county needs to stop with all the data centers already… they don’t bring long term jobs and are a huge drain on power, sewer, etc. It’s not a smart investment and should not be allowed. The public can tell someone’s pockets are being greased here.
Well Loudoun county is the wealthiest county in the USA… trickle down economics…only conservative liberal whites live there anyway…metro bus driver!
Data Centers provide well paying, careers not just construction jobs. Your lack of understanding is showing. If you want to live in the unspoiled Virginia of 30 years ago, it’s too late. Do not let your ignorance prevent solid growth, non polluting facilities from moving forward.
You are part of the many problems we face. We ALL live HERE! Not just well off horse lovers that bri g more flies and wasted space. I’m happy you don’t like it. That means it’s good for the rest of us!
Yup, no thank you. I’ve had my fill of all the data centers. Bright lights, rumble of those diesel generators, exhaust fumes etc. Plus, they are ugly as sin. I know they are great for tax revenue, but enough is enough…
Great job local homeowners. Another data center in your backyard
Oh boy, another Neo-facist association pusher, mind your own affairs for once. I love them and the subsidies the give your rotten political party to waste, less they are taking from workers. You clearly smell like a rich boy who wants what he wants, the heck with everything else
Ha Ha, don’t like it? They got room for tou in California go, just go.
Well. Loudoun county cut millions of trees to build data centers that increaded pollution in northern VA just for tax revenue. And GOV keeps saying protect climate. It doesn’t make sense. Loudoun county should change the building desings. Instead of going horizontally should build towers to reduse cutting more trees. We need them. If they continue in same wsy after 50 years no trees in the area.
These ugly boxes are everywhere, where used to be trees and forest now this horrific industrial scenery.
Are we all now living in an industrial zone? Look 28 and waxpool. This must to be stopped
PS Someone claims data centers bring jobs, it is t total lie, as an entire data center employs only 12 people based on average
As someone who lives within walking distance of this parcel, I would much rather have a dull data center than the hundreds and hundreds of cars daily a new housing development would have put on roads, or the 24/7 traffic and busyness of a hospital.
Totally support the data center and the tax revenue it will be bringing in, with no pressure to build more schools and hire staff, increased law enforcement hiring, etc.
Loudoun County STOP approving these data centers!! Enough already. And especially on that parcel of land surrounded by housing. At least keep a buffer of trees to hide these buzzing monstrosities in neighborhoods , but LC will let them knock all the trees down to save them on construction costs. This will be fast tracked and completed before the Sonic is built in Leesburg!
The obvious question is: What do residents WANT there? There answer seems to be … “Let’s do nothing!”
Loudoun County (understandably) says, “That’s not a legitimate answer.” So they try to work with local residents:
Do you want townhouses? NO. Do you want single family homes? NO. Do you want a data center? NO. Do you want a hospital? NO. Do you want commercial development? NO.
So back to Square One, which is the Golden Rule: The one with the gold, writes the rules. The property was ALREADY zoned for a data center, so in the impasse CyrusOne writes a big check. And now everybody complains!!??!
Homeowners, Kwitcherbitchin. Grow up.
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