OPINION: Remington is about to be overwhelmed by data centers

In June, the Fauquier County Planning Commission voted 4-1 to deny the seven-building, 2.2-million-square-foot data center campus in Remington known as Gigaland. The Board of Supervisors is expected to consider the project in revised form in September.

Chris Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, stands near a power corridor along Vint Hill Road that is stuffed with transmission infrastructure. 

The Commission’s denial is part of a growing trend throughout the state of informed residents pushing back against once unreservedly welcomed data center campuses.

Looking at this map of Remington with the proposed data centers, the magnitude of the development becomes clear. Data centers will dominate the town.

Between now and when the Board of Supervisors meet, Fauquier residents have the opportunity to change course and persuade their representatives to pursue a smarter path for data center development. But the clock is ticking.

Gigaland developers are offering a variety of proffers to Remington residents, ranging from a specialized fire truck — whose most obvious value is to match the immense size of the data center buildings — to a water tower that doesn’t come close to addressing the town’s long-standing water woes.

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