At the October 16 Board of Supervisors business meeting, the rezoning application for Greenlin Park will be heard. This application would convert currently forested area to data center uses. As it currently stands, the application poses major dangers to forested wildlife habitat, steep-slope sensitive environmental areas, and the stream health of Sycolin Creek.

As with all data center applications, this potential project has serious repercussions for the integrity of wildlife habitat across the county. Continued legislative approval of data center applications further jeopardizes wildlife habitat by increasing infrastructure needs. This application exemplifies further proliferation of data center issues in the County, including an over-reliance on tax revenue from a single industry, potential inequity in cost-sharing for Loudoun residents, and counteraction of climate/clean energy goals.

The footprint of this application is substantial. The building area for the data center and substation on the property would result in notable tree canopy loss. Including the property’s entrance, this would cut through the floodplain and endanger wetlands and environmentally sensitive steep slopes. The proximity to the floodplain will cause harmful runoff that would further degrade the stream health of Sycolin Creek. The proximity to, and bisection of, wetlands degrades and destroys prime habitat for the endangered wood turtle.

This application is not appropriate for the proposed area. The uses suggested are inconsistent with those outlined for this location’s designation as a transitional place type according to the 2019 General Plan. Additionally, there is insufficient information provided on the exact specifications of the project plan. The lack of a supplied site plan is extremely concerning for a project with the amount of potentially environmentally harmful  impacts that this one would have. Please see the comments Loudoun Wildlife submitted to the Board of Supervisors at the application’s last public hearing or the project’s application packet for more information.

The post Greenlin Park Data Center Application appeared first on Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.