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
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
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
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
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
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
On March 19, 2024, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed Department of Planning and Development staff to update the county zoning ordinance with additional regulatory guidance for data center development. It is...more
Over the past year, local governments in Northern Virginia — including Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Caroline County and Spotsylvania County — have taken steps to enact, or begin the process of enacting, new and generally...more
Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz announced on Jan. 23, 2024, that Arlington County will draft and potentially adopt office conversion regulations in the first half of 2024....more
Fairfax County, Virginia, recently released updated recommendations for data center development in the county, including potential changes to the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance standards for data center development....more
The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors adopted guidelines to control new data center developments on Dec. 14, 2023. The policy is the product of collaboration between the county’s planning staff and a committee that met in...more
On Nov. 11, 2023, the Arlington County Board adopted Plan Langston Boulevard (PLB) after a nearly five-year planning process. PLB establishes long-term planning guidelines for the Langston Boulevard corridor, and includes...more
On Oct. 26, 2023, Arlington County released the final version of Plan Langston Boulevard (PLB) and scheduled public hearings for potential adoption in November. The final plan, which incorporates a few changes to certain land...more
The growing demand for data center space in Virginia increasingly has led the industry to locations outside northern Virginia. As a result, many central Virginia jurisdictions recently revised their planning and zoning...more