A call for data about data centers
Data centers continue to spread in Fairfax County and surrounding areas, bringing with them a mix of consequences: tax revenue, noise, faster internet, bleak infrastructure, jobs during construction, and energy requirements so large — especially during a blazing summer — they can be hard to comprehend.
Fairfax is in the process of sorting through it. Earlier this month, the county planning commission unanimously passed along zoning amendments that would restrict future data centers’ size, location, design standards and more. The Board of Supervisors will take up the proposal next, in July, while the Virginia legislature commissioned a study to research the market and impacts, too.
Data centers are a subject that I know residents feel strongly about, and it's one I’m eager to explore in this newsletter: not only politicians’ decisions and local opposition but their personal, economic, social and environmental impacts.
So, I want to hear from you. Do you live near a Fairfax County data center or have one in your community? What’s been your experience? Are they a scourge, a tax boon or no big deal? And what coverage of data centers and development are you most interested in?
Tell The Machine in our survey here.