The largest private economic development project in Stafford County’s history is a step closer to becoming a reality.
The county Planning Commission on Wednesday night recommended approval of a nearly 504-acre data center campus on the east side of U.S. 1 across from Sage Lane. The Board of Supervisors has the final say.
Plans by Stafford Technology LC, an affiliate of developer the Peterson Cos., anticipate 23 buildings on the site with a total of 5.8 million square feet of floor area, though a report by county planning staff said the applicant can’t commit to a specific number of buildings because future tenant needs may change.
Up to six electric substations also are proposed to serve the property, and the developer would construct a road connecting U.S. Route 1 to Eskimo Hill Road.
The campus would be served by a water reuse system, as well. Data centers, buildings that store and manage large amounts of digital data, use water to cool their facilities, and their effect on community water supplies is often a concern when they’re proposed.
In this case, however, four water-and-sewer infrastructure projects that are in Stafford’s Capital Improvement Plan but not currently funded will be constructed on an accelerated schedule and paid for by the developer, noted Taylor Chess, president of development for the Fairfax-based Peterson Cos.
The data center campus also would generate $88 million per year in tax revenue at buildout, according to the Peterson Cos., and create 600 “well-paying” permanent jobs as well as hundreds of construction jobs for the next seven to nine years.
And the site is situated away from dense residential areas and schools.
Those facts were lauded by Commission Chairman Steven Apicella, who made three motions in favor of the project. Commissioners recommended approval of the project on three 6-0 votes. Commissioner Kelsey Caudill, who represents the George Washington District, was absent from the meeting.
“If we’re going to allow a data center campus anywhere in Stafford County, this would appear to be a very good location,” said Apicella, who represents the Falmouth District.
The amount of tax revenue the data center campus would generate is noteworthy, Apicella said.
“In my mind, that’s a significant amount of money that could help pay towards a new courthouse, a new school or make significant transportation improvements over the life of this project,” he said. “This will be one of, if not the most, significant development projects in the county’s history.”
Commissioner Kristen Barnes, who represents the Rock Hill District, said the decision to approve the data center campus was “very, very, very difficult.”
She said if someone would have told her 10 years ago that she would agree to a project that would mean taking out so many trees on undeveloped land, she would have called them crazy.
“But there’s a lot that Stafford County needs right now, and we constantly hear from taxpayers, from constituents, from citizens, that we need to bring in revenue streams,” Barnes said. “We need to bring in business and industry so that the tax burden isn’t on property taxes. It’s basically on the backs of property owners [now].”
In a prepared statement Thursday, Chess said that the Stafford Technology Campus “represents a transformational opportunity” for the county, and that his organization appreciates the Planning Commission’s action.
“This development is set to fund and expedite the creation of new roads, bridges, and enhanced utility infrastructure and will significantly increase the county’s tax revenue, which in turn can be used to fund public improvement projects. Additionally, the investment in Stafford Technology Campus intends to foster economic growth through numerous well-paying jobs over the next decade.”
