ALEXANDRIA, VA – A permit application and building plans for the first of two proposed data centers in Alexandria were filed in July, according to a new report, though the substation the project will require hasn't yet been approved by Fairfax County.
The Washington Business Journal reports that Starwood Capital Group filed the documents for its proposed data center at Plaza 500 on July 16.
The site is off Edsall Road in Alexandria, in an industrial area near Bren Mar Park.
According to the report, the first building is planned to be 226,469 square feet and 75 feet tall. The first phase of construction is estimated to cost $5 million.
A Starwood affiliate purchased the property in 2022, according to the report, and is waiting for approval for a substation.
Nearby residents have been resisting the project since the property was purchased.
According to the Save Bren Mar Coalition, the data center will be less than 260 feet away from residential property and its substation less than 100 feet away. The coalition said in 2024 that Plaza 500 would be the fifth largest data center in Fairfax County and the closest of its size to residential homes.
In July, the coalition issued an update, saying the Plaza 500 data center project will have a single public hearing and 2232 decision to determine if the project fits with the county’s comprehensive plan on September 24. “It is the first and only time that we'll be afforded a public hearing for this otherwise by-right development,” the coalition notes.
Before that, there will be a presentation to the Mason District Land Use Committee on July 28 and a Mason District Land Use Committee recommendation issued on September 22. The Save Bren Mar Coalition website has details on how to participate.
The organization is also seeking signatures on a letter expressing concern about the project. The group says the site is surrounded by residential and recreational areas and isn’t appropriate for a data center.
Local homeowners accuse Starwood of trying to manipulate the approval process by filing building plans and permits before the controversial substation is approved, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Read more from the Washington Business Journal here.
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