Sully District Council of Citizens Associations

P.O. Box 230042
Sully Station, VA 20120-0042

Agenda for 21 September 2026 Joint Sully District Land Use and Transportation Committee (JSDLU&TC) Meeting
by Jeff Parnes

Stop! — Is your Organization/Association a member of the Sully District Council of Citizens Association? If Not, Why Not? The dues are only $10 a year In numbers there is strength Your membership helps pay for our WebEx license and the maintenance of website We want and need your membership Join today!

1. The Joint Sully District Land Use and Transportation Committee (JSDLU&TC) will meet online only at 7:00 p.m. on 21 September 2026 . This meeting is conducted with participation by members of both the Land Use and Transportation committees of the SDCCA and WFCCA
2. Time to renew your association's membership in the Sully District Council. Our membership application can now be submitted on line! Please complete it, and then print a copy to enclose with your check.

Has yours made plans to join us for 2026?

3. The JSDLU&TC WebEx meeting URL is below.

Meeting Information:
The Sully District Council requires each participant in our online meetings to identify themselves. If your screen name does not provide enough information to identify yourself, or you are a call-in participant, you will be asked to identify yourself and the organization you represent. If after repeated requests, you choose not to do so, you will be disconnected from the meeting.
• Meeting link: https://webmaster2020.my.webex.com/webmaster2020.my/j.php?MTID=mdb5d40d780d8e250d37dbadf84f1e3c3
• Meeting number: 793 996 746
• Password: PSkYb5gEX34
• Join by phone: +1-408-418-9388 United States (Access code: 793 996 746)
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• Sully District Council Tweets! Follow us at @SullyDistrict!
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5. Jim Neighbors, the Sully District Council Secretary, updated the Sully District Council and JSDLU&TC Land Use Matrix XLSX on 16 August 2020.


6. The JSDLU&TC met on Monday, 17 August 2026
• Topics:
1. 7:00 — The BOS was considering combining the Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) and the Tree Commission into an Environmental Commission
   • JSDLU&TC Action: The committee prepared a resolution opposing the merger which was provided to the BOS and Jeff Parnes gave testimony to that effect in a BOS public hearing.
   The BOS, ignoring the bulk of the testimony at the public hearing, voted to go ahead with the merger.
7. The next Sully District Council meeting will be held starting 7 PM, Wednesday, 23 September 2026 online and at the Sully Governmental Facility at 4900 Stonecroft Blvd, Chantilly, VA 20151.
• Topic: Sully District Council's Eleventh Biannual Sully Congressional candidates night
• All five candidates to the 10th and 11th Virginia Congressional Districts have been invited
Tenth District
• Dave Beckwith (R)
• Suhas Subramanyam (D) — Incumbent
• Eleventh District
  • Arthur Purves (R)
  • Dianne Blais (G)
  • James Walkinshaw (D) — Incumbent
8. The JSDLU&TC will meet online only on Monday, 21 September2026.
   
   • In light of an amendment to the Code of Virginia, the county has provided us with a statement be to read when our land use committee meets with a prospective applicant for a rezoning or proffer condition amendment (PCA) for new residential development and/or new residential use in areas of the County that are not exempt from Virginia Code Section 15.2-2303.4. It is recommended that if our committee is meeting with more than one applicant to read this statement for each rezoning/PCA.
   • All times estimates are provided as a courtesy, presentations will start after the completion of the proceeding presentation, however long it takes. Recommend that presenters be ready at least 30 minutes prior to their scheduled time.
   • Prospective presenters are requested to register on the Land Use and Transportation Committee Presentation Registration Form as a condition of their presentation.
   • Presentations
   1. 7:00 — Opportunity to support Piedmont Environmental Council letter Regarding Air Quality and Data Centers
   • PEC is looking for organizational sign-ons to a letter to the State Corporation Commissionto protect air quality, particularly for vulnerable communities, from the increased use of backup generators at data centers as de facto peaker plants. The letter is attached. We would like to have sign-ons by September 25th. Please email if your organization would like to be added. Include the name of who you would like listed, their title, and the organization name.
   • Detailed Explanation about the Letter:
     • Currently a process is underway at the State Corporation Commission (SCC) to develop a model for connecting new data centers to the grid despite anticipated shortfalls in power supply. These decisions will not only affect Virginians, but as Virginia is seen as a leader in the data industry, our actions may influence policy in other states.
     • Energy load forecasts anticipate that soon PJM, the Mid-Atlantic Transmission organization to which Virginia belongs, will not have sufficient power generation to safely supply new data center demands. This has motivated new data centers to bring their own power — typically in the form of gas-fired turbines on or near data center sites. Onsite power also comes with impacts, but not all data centers will be able or willing to make the investment in producing all their own power and the need for more generation remains.
     • In response to this impending shortfall, PJM and its stakeholders — including representatives from the data center industry, and utility companies — have been evaluating different plans that could allow data centers to continue connecting to the grid rapidly while maintaining reliability. As a part of this planning process, the Virginia SCC, in tandem with the Data Center Coalition (DCC), the primary membership and trade association for the data center industry in the U.S., submitted a letter to PJM announcing their intention to work collaboratively to develop model interruptible service tariffs by February 1, 2027.
     • Permitting interruptible, or non-firm, electric service for data centers would create a system to allow new Virginia data centers to connect to the grid provided they could "curtail" — or lower their power demand — during times when electricity demand is high and the grid is stained.
     • Curtailment of data centers means one of three things happens; the data center goes dark (very unlikely), the data center shifts its processing to another data center in an area without grid constraints (most data centers can't do this), or the data center runs off power from its emergency diesel generators (most likely). This approach shifts the use of these generators from emergency power, to peaker plants. This is concerning because diesel generators are one of the most heavily polluting forms of power production. Even Tier 4 diesel generators which have 10x less emissions than Tier 2 diesel generators are still more polluting than gas peaker plants.
     • Allowing these generators to be run as peaker plants is extremely worrisome because they are permitted next to schools, daycares, hospitals, parks, and homes. Additionally, curtailment is likely to occur during summer heatwave events, when air pollution is often at its worst. Northern Virginia is already seeing increased generator usage and pressure for more onsite gas turbines to power facilities. As more data centers connect under this practice we could see the cumulative effects pile up even faster.
     • Based on the letter submitted by the SCC and the DCC it appears no other stakeholders are involved in this discussion about curtailment. There is no consideration or discussion about their type, the number of units, other adjacent permits, the cumulative impacts of multiple facilities running simultaneously, or their proximity to schools, homes, daycares, hospitals, etc.
     • This letter to the SCC is seeking to broaden the stakeholder group and public process of developing this plan to ensure air quality is proactively considered and protected in whatever plan is developed to meet the energy needs of the data center industry.
   • Here is the proposed Draft Piedmont Environmental Council Letter on Air Quality and Data Centers
   2. 8:00 — Preview of upcoming land use matters
   • Jim Hart identified the following items of interest:
     1. Rezoning Trinity Centre from office to residential
     2. The SE for a fast food drive through on Old Centreville Road by the fire station
     3. Retail on Lee Road.
     4. The data center in Westfields with fuel cells which apparently will need an SE due to the proposed size.
     5. A ZOA in the pipeline for relaxing the ALU standards.
     6. The apartments on the church site in Franklin Farm but that might be by right if it complies with the new legislation.
   • Ideally, each of these items could be championed by one or more Joint Committee members so that we can continue to the aware of developments on each as they occur. Consider which you would like to champion.

9. Old Business
• The tentative Sully District Council of Citizens Associations schedule for 2026 (subject to change) (agendas may not be available until the week/day of the meeting):
• 28 January: State of Sully by Sully Supervisor Kathy Smith
• 25 February: Casino in Fairfax County
• 24 March: Dulles Airport update (4th Tuesday)
• 22 April: Centreville Area Task Force
• 27 May: General Assembly Report by Delegates and Senators representing Sully in Richmond
• 24 June: Fairfax County Fire and Rescue
• 22 July: Review of SDCCA bylaws as part of SDCCA/WFCCA merger
• 26 August: Virginia Constitutional Amendments
• 23 September: Eleventh Biannual Sully Congressional candidates night
• 21 October: Finalization of SDCCA/WFCCA merger
• 18 November: TBD
• 16 December: TBD
10. New Business
• Additional housing Co-Location Projects
• On 15 September a request was sent to the Fairfax County Library System, Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Development regarding the county's efforts to redevelop available parcels for affordable and workforce housing in Sully and the surrounding communities. It was suggested that rather than considering each site individually a Sully-wide review might be in order. The three county agencies were invited to join us our fall meetings to discuss the future of affordable and workforce housing in Sully.
• In response Matt LaBorde, the Community Engagement & Outreach Manager at Fairfax County's Department of Housing and Community Development has arranged a Community Leaders Call invitation for Friday, October 9th. He wrote:
  • Several community groups in the Sully District — including yours — have asked us to present about affordable housing initiatives in Chantilly and Centreville. Connecting with you is important to us, and we appreciate your reaching out. We hope you will join us for a Virtual Update on October 9, 2026 at 2pm to:
    • Get a recap of the July 2026 Chantilly co-location project meeting at Chantilly High School, including community feedback.
    • Learn more about Fairfax County's outreach efforts for the Centreville co-location project, including feedback we received to date.
    • Get updates on project planning and development.
    • Gain insight on the ways people can get involved and stay informed.
    • Share your questions and feedback, and engage in discussion.
  • Staff from the Fairfax County's Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Planning & Development, and Public Library will be present, as well as members of Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith's office.
  • To register: Please provide the names and email addresses for other leaders from your group who you want to include in the call so that he can send them the Teams invite. Please do not forward the invitation.
• T5 Data Center / Fuel-Cell Proposal in Westfields &Mdash; Request for Joint Land Use Committee Review
• We recently received this Request for Joint Land Use Committee Review of a T5 Data Center / Fuel-Cell Proposal in Westfields from Eric Fox
  • I am a Gallery Park at Westfields resident, and I am writing regarding the proposed T5 data center and fuel-cell facility near Conference Center Drive and Lee Road in Westfields.
  • I recently contacted Supervisor Smith and the Fairfax County Planning Commission regarding this proposal. My comments were received, made part of the public record, and distributed to the members of the Planning Commission. I am reaching out to the Joint Sully District Council / Western Fairfax County Citizens Association Land Use and Transportation Committee because I understand that the Committee provides an important independent forum for reviewing significant land-use proposals in the Sully District.
  • My concern is not simply that this is a data center. Westfields has evolved over time, including data-center development, but this proposal would place a large industrial use and roughly 60 MW of on-site power generation on a heavily wooded, highly visible parcel directly adjacent to an area that is increasingly residential and mixed use.
  • That is materially different from the existing data-center development along Conference Center Drive, which consists of more conventional grid-connected facilities. Here, the proposal combines an approximately 312,000-square-foot, three-story industrial-scale building with what amounts to a substantial on-site power-generation facility fueled by natural gas, approximately 2000ft from two different residential subdivisions and across the street from a hotel.
  • Gallery Park would be particularly affected because of its proximity. The project would replace neighboring mature tree cover and a substantial natural buffer that currently helps transition portions of Westfields from its more intensive commercial uses. More broadly, I am concerned about the cumulative effect of continuing to convert Westfields from the landscaped and wooded corporate, residential, hotel and mixed-use environment it has historically been into an increasingly industrial landscape of data centers, utility infrastructure, power-generation plants/equipment and associated transmission or fuel infrastructure.
  • The 60 MW fuel-cell component raises additional questions that I believe deserve careful consideration as part of the land-use review rather than being treated solely as a technical accessory use. In particular, I am concerned about the scale of the generating facility, the natural-gas infrastructure necessary to serve it, the precedent that approval could establish for other data-center sites, and whether this intensity of development is compatible with the surrounding portions of Westfields.
  • I understand that the fuel-cell zoning interpretation and the special-exception review for the data center are distinct matters. Whatever determination the County has made regarding the permissibility of fuel cells as an accessory use, I hope the overall scale and character of the combined project will receive substantive consideration through the special-exception process.
  • For that reason, I would greatly appreciate it if the Joint Committee would review the T5 proposal when it comes before you and, if appropriate, ask T5 to present the project to the Committee. I would also appreciate being notified when the proposal is scheduled for discussion so that I may attend and provide comments as a nearby homeowner.
  • Gallery Park's condominium association does not presently appear to participate directly in the local land-use review process, so I am reaching out in my individual capacity as a resident and homeowner. I believe residents of Gallery Park and the broader Westfields residential and commercial owner community have a substantial interest in how this parcel is developed and in the cumulative direction of land use within Westfields.
  • I would be happy to forward the correspondence I have already submitted to Fairfax County or provide any additional information that would be useful.
  • Thank you for your time and for your work reviewing land use matters affecting the Sully District.
• Jim Hart provided these comments on Eric's request:
  • He does't know T5, but there were a couple newspaper articles a few months ago about that data center and the unusual fuel cell situation (which may have very controversial environmental impacts). My recollection is that the applicant anticipated having to file an SE, that the data center wasn't by right for some reason. I checked on Plus a couple times since (which is not user friendly) and couldn't find anything. I don't remember the reason offhand but it may have been building size, or waivers. Someone else may know. I thought Ann Bennett from Sierra Club might have been following it.
  • If you can find the application in Plus (good luck) then it should have the agent listed and his or her contact information, as well as a schedule (if dates are set). I assume Billy O'Donnell is branch chief but I don't know if they have assigned a staff coordinator. I guess it is possible that they still haven't filed yet. Billy might know what happened. The fuel cell thing was going to be uncharted territory.
  • The new ordinance does have some (wimpy) standards about data center setbacks from residential, but the PC (tougher) recommendations were gutted by the BOS. Despite some of the spin from politicians afterwards, the setbacks are not the toughest in the world, or whatever was claimed. If you have seen what Loudoun and Prince William are doing now, their new setbacks are going to be substantially more rigorous. I think we would have to see the drawings to see what setbacks (if any) kick in, and from what nearby uses. But 2000' sounds like it is not going to kick in.
  • If you remember the controversial Parkstone case along Braddock Rd., there was a 200' or 250' tree save setback in the comp plan (not the ordinance) but Kathy waived it for equipment cabinets [?] or something, IIRC over the committee's and staff's objections. The comp plan language was a legacy from Dick Frank, trying to buffer R-C neighborhoods from Westfields, but as you know the BOS can bust the comp plan anytime there are 6 votes. Anyway the data center building mass there is overwhelming to the R-C homes across the street, even if set back 200' or 250', much too close for comfort, a very awkward juxtaposition. Some folks in Braddock Downs moved away after construction. So even if the new ordinance setbacks are applied at comparable distances there is not a lot of comfort.
  • If someone [?] eventually determined that the data center would be by right, then there is no public hearing, nothing to review and recommend.
• We have reached out to Poonam Ramgopal on Kathy's staff to assistance


11. Scheduled Meetings/Events
• 2026 Get to Know Your County Event: October 5
The Fairfax County Department of Cable and Consumer Services and the Department of Tax Administration invite you to attend the 2026 Get to Know Your County Event on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, from 8:30 am — 3 pm at the Fairfax County Government Center. Residents are encouraged to drop in at their convenience to meet with county staff, learn about available programs and services, and access resources to support their households and communities.
• Learn about Potential Updates to Zoning Regulations for Specific Uses in Commercial and Industrial Districts
• Join Fairfax County's Department of Planning and Development to learn about potential updates for the zoning regulations for associated service uses, food trucks, recycling centers, specialized instruction centers, and vehicle sales! 
• Virtual community meetings are coming up soon to gather feedback on potential updates to the Zoning Ordinance. Community members are invited to join county staff virtually on October 5 at 7 pm or October 7 at 12 pm to share your thoughts, ask questions, and learn how to participate further. Both meetings will cover the same content. No registration is required.
  
• Get meeting details on the Zoning Ordinance Amendment webpage.
• Environmental Commission Member Recruitment
• Fairfax County is looking for residents to serve on a newly charted Environmental Commission, a 15-member public body that will advise the Board of Supervisors on policies and initiatives that shape the county's environmental future. There are currently three available at-large positions. Interested residents are encouraged to reach out to the Chairman's office at 703-324-2321 or via email. The deadline for those interested is October 9.
  
• The Commission has two reserved seats for members with forestry and natural resources experience or expertise, but those are not reserved to these at-large positions. In addition, general members can come from a broad mix of backgrounds and experiences such as:
  • Air quality and its management
  • Climate action
  • Energy use and management
  • Water quality, quantity, and/or its management
  • Waste management, including solid waste and wastewater
• Sully Housing Co-Location Projects
The Community Engagement & Outreach Manager at Fairfax County's Department of Housing and Community Development has arranged a Community Leaders Call invitation for Friday, October 9th. He wrote:
• Several community groups in the Sully District — including yours — have asked us to present about affordable housing initiatives in Chantilly and Centreville. Connecting with you is important to us, and we appreciate your reaching out. We hope you will join us for a Virtual Update on October 9, 2026 at 2pm to:
  • Get a recap of the July 2026 Chantilly co-location project meeting at Chantilly High School, including community feedback.
  • Learn more about Fairfax County's outreach efforts for the Centreville co-location project, including feedback we received to date.
  • Get updates on project planning and development.
  • Gain insight on the ways people can get involved and stay informed.
  • Share your questions and feedback, and engage in discussion.
• Staff from the Fairfax County's Department of Housing and Community Development, Department of Planning & Development, and Public Library will be present, as well as members of Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith's office.
• To register: Please provide the names and email addresses at to the SDCCA LU&T Chair at lutchair2026 @ sullydistrict.org
  
  
• Next Sully District meetings will be held at the This meeting will be held at the Virginia Run Community Center unless otherwise specified
  • The next Sully District Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 28 October 2026
  • Topic: Finalization of SDCCA/WFCCA merger
  • Next month's Joint Sully Land Use and Transportation Committee is scheduled for Monday, 19 October 2026.
  At this time we have no topics scheduled
  • 7:00 — Discovery Square rezoning proposal revisited
  • Presented by Zach Fountain, Land Use Planner, Walsh Colucci Lubeley & Walsh

Respectfully submitted,

Jeffrey M. Parnes
Land Use and Transportation Chair
Sully District Council