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Washington · Loudoun County Board to Vote on 12-Month Data Center Approval Pause
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meets today to vote on a resolution that would pause final decisions on data center and substation applications for up to 12 months in the world's densest data center market.
Why it matters
Loudoun County is the world's densest concentration of data centers, with the Ashburn area known as "Data Center Alley." The Board of Supervisors meets today (October 20) to vote on a resolution that would pause, for up to 12 months, final board decisions on data center and electrical substation applications requiring legislative approval. Applications could still be filed and reviewed by the Planning Commission, but the board would make no final calls.
Full report
On September 15, the board voted 7-1-1 to direct staff to draft the resolution. The county attorney had issued a legal opinion that Virginia law does not allow localities to enact a formal development moratorium, so the county is using a "pause on final action" mechanism instead, retroactive to September 15. The pause is meant to buy time to finish the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance amendments (CPAM/ZOAM), expected in summer 2027.
For context, Loudoun eliminated by-right data center approvals in March 2025, requiring new projects to go through a special-exception vote. Neighboring Prince William County shrank its data center opportunity zone in September, and Governor Spanberger unveiled a statewide digital infrastructure framework last month to end data center NDAs, protect the environment and lower household energy costs.
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