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Thanks to citizen efforts, the utility substation application to power two data centers across from the Tuscarora Crossing and Village Walk neighborhoods has been deferred indefinitely. The Board of Supervisors was split on the proposal in September, voting 4-4-1 with Chair Randall abstaining and sending the vote to the Oct. 7 business meeting in order to gather more information from residents. After meeting with residents and reviewing the homeowner contracts that were signed at closing, which did not disclose a planned utility substation, Randall informed the developer she would be voting against the proposal, at which point the applicant requested a deferral.
The developer had originally submitted plans to build a large data center campus at Tuscarora Crossing on Land bay 3 and 7, directly adjacent to residential neighborhoods and the W&OD Trail in Leesburg’s Transition Policy Area. The data center application was approved in 2019, but did not include plans for a dedicated substation, which would bring high-voltage transmission lines and industrial infrastructure into an area with residential and recreational uses. The substation application was submitted in early 2025, at which point neighboring residents began to take action.
Original Alert on this application:
Tuscarora Crossing represents a tipping point for Loudoun County. Approving this project would set a precedent that transitional neighborhoods and open spaces are fair game for industrial expansion—putting corporate profits ahead of residents, sustainability, and quality of life.
Key Concerns
Key Concerns
Encroachment on neighborhoods: The site sits beside established communities, creating permanent industrial impacts where the County’s General Plan envisioned transitional, residential-friendly growth.
Substation & power lines: Dominion has acknowledged that every new data center now requires its own substation. This means large poles, wires, and substations could soon dominate what is today a residential landscape. The substation will be gas insulated. Gas Insulated Substations typically rely on sulfur hexafluoride, the world's most potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential nearly 24,000 times that of CO2 and a long atmospheric lifetime, making its emissions a significant environmental concern.
Environmental & visual impacts: The proposed location threatens the scenic and recreational character of the W&OD Trail and risks worsening noise, heat, and energy-demand pressures in Loudoun.
Policy conflicts: The project undermines Loudoun’s Energy Strategy and General Plan, both of which call for balancing growth with sustainability and protecting residential areas from heavy industrial use.
Data Centers on Land bay 3 and 7 sets the wrong precedent of encroachment into residential areas.
This area has some industrial uses but also has homes, Bolen Park, the W&OD, the Animal Shelter and is visible from Route 7, Wegmans, etc.
Land bay 3 will have three data center buildings (depicted in brown) and a substation (depicted in yellow.) The data centers are approved but the substation needed to power the data centers is not.
The application is for a gas insulated substation which is something The Board of Supervisors favors due to it being more visually appealing and less noisey. However, these gas insulated substations typically rely on sulfur hexafluoride, the world's most potent greenhouse gas. Putting this next to recreational and residential areas is dangerous and sets the wrong precedent.
The view of the site from the W&OD and Tuscarora Crossing homes.
Land bay 7 is compromised of over 40 acres which will be developed into two large data center buildings. These buildings are located in the Tuscarora Crossing Neighborhood just feet from the closest home.
This parcel has "by right" status for data center development meaning they do not need Board approval to build here. However, they need the substation on Land Bay 3 for power.
This site is on top of a hill that is visible from Route 7, Wegmans, and many surrounding areas in Leesburg.
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