Data center regulations in Virginia evolved further with the veto session of the 2025 Legislative Session, March 24, 2025. Gov. Glenn Youngkin elected to not sign HB 1601/SB 1449 — which would require data center site...more
At its March 18, 2025, business meeting, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 to approve a Zoning Ordinance amendment making data centers a special exception use in zoning districts in which they were previously...more
On Feb. 20, 2025, the Arlington County Manager approved a significant update to Administrative Regulation 4.1, which governs the submission and review process for most real estate development in Arlington County....more
For the first time since 2009, the Virginia General Assembly has not extended the validity periods for all approved site plans, special permits and special exceptions. Under Code of Virginia Section 15.2-2209.1:1, all valid...more
On Jan. 21, 2025, President Donald Trump, alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, announced a private sector plan to invest billions of dollars in artificial intelligence...more
Understanding the history of data centers in Virginia provides insight into how the General Assembly may manage the industry going forward, says McGuireWoods Consulting senior vice president Preston Bryant in an article...more
The Fairfax County Site-Specific Plan Amendment (SSPA) Process, which opens almost the entire county up for comprehensive plan amendments, will begin in January 2025 and is the only opportunity for the next two years for real...more
The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) released its report on data centers in Virginia on Dec. 9, 2024. During the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session, numerous bills were put forward that could...more
On Nov. 16, 2024, the Arlington County Board adopted several policies designed to lay the groundwork for office-residential projects in Arlington County, Virginia....more
Fairfax County, Virginia, will hold a series of sessions to provide additional information about the upcoming site specific plan amendment (SSPA) cycle in early 2025. This is Fairfax County’s process for reviewing proposed...more
On Oct. 25, 2024, nearly a month after striking down Arlington’s Missing Middle policy, Judge David Schell of the Arlington Circuit Court considered several post-trial motions. He heard arguments on two motions to intervene —...more
On Oct. 1, 2024, Arlington County released the draft County Board Policy on the Transformation of Commercial Office Buildings and draft zoning ordinance amendments for adaptive reuse projects....more
The Arlington Circuit Court struck down Arlington’s Missing Middle policy, also known as the Expanding Housing Option development policy, on Sept. 27, 2024. Judge David Schell ruled that in adopting the policy, Arlington...more
On Sept. 10, 2024, the Fairfax County, Virginia Board of Supervisors approved a zoning ordinance amendment that creates new restrictions for data centers. The amended ordinance permits by-right data center development in...more
Fairfax County, Virginia, will launch its next site specific plan amendment (SSPA) cycle in early 2025. This presents a significant opportunity for property owners and developers to add value and respond to changing market...more
Demand for data center development opportunities remains at unprecedented levels across Virginia. But how the industry is regulated by Virginia’s diverse cities and counties is not uniform....more
On July 31, 2024, Arlington County previewed upcoming policy changes for adaptive reuse projects. The county’s current intent is to limit the policy to projects that change the principal use (such as office to residential)...more
As part of a strategy to combat rising commercial office vacancy rates, Fairfax County, Virginia, has announced a series of strategy recommendations that include potential updates to its building repurposing policy, providing...more
U.S. Reps. Mike Carey (R-OH) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) introduced the bipartisan “Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act” in the House of Representatives on July 12, 2024. Modeled after the Historic Preservation Tax Credit,...more
Loudoun County, Va., joins a growing number of northern Virginia jurisdictions taking affirmative steps to restrict data center development. As the first part of a two-phase process, the board of supervisors voted to advance...more
In 2020, Fairfax County, Virginia, adopted an Economic Incentive Program (EIP) that, among other incentives, provides for a partial real estate tax abatement equal to the difference in value between the base value...more
On June 6, 2024, the Fairfax County, Virginia Planning Commission recommended approval of zoning ordinance amendments that will create new restrictions for data centers. The proposed ordinance will permit by-right data center...more
Fairfax County, Virginia, recently released draft zoning ordinance text amendments to provide new regulations for data centers within the county. A link to the draft zoning ordinance amendments may be found here....more
On April 20, 2024, the Arlington County Board considered several policy changes designed to address the rising office vacancy rate in the county. The board’s attempts are part of the county’s efforts to revitalize the...more
Following a recent planning study, Fairfax County has seated a task force to begin re-writing the comprehensive plan for Centreville, Virginia. The updated comprehensive plan will guide any necessary or desired zoning and...more