INSIDE A New Sales Strategy For Loudoun... Page 3 M AR C H 201 2 VOLUME 9 NO. 4
Business Leaders Go To Bat For Rail By Kara Clark, Staff Writer While the debate over whether the county should contribute financially to the growth of Metrorail through Loudoun continues, the local business community has made its position clear. At its March meeting, the Loudoun Economic Development Commission passed a resolution in support of the Rail to Loudoun project. EDC members passed the resolution by a 22-0 vote, with two members recusing themselves due to professional conflicts and School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) abstaining. The resolution notes that, in December, EDC members overwhelmingly selected the Rail to Loudoun project as the county’s top priority and most important economic development issue. It goes on to state the rail project will improve air quality by removing cars from the road with the alternative public transit option; provide area employees easier and more efficient access to and from Loudoun businesses including Dulles Airport; improve transportation options for older, younger and disabled travelers; and that the existence of rail in the area is imperative to the survival of the tran-
sit-oriented development that has been planned, or is under construction, in Loudoun. The resolution also states documented evidence has proved that rail stations provide jobs, and 54 percent of all regional jobs are located within half a mile of rail stations. “Without the completion of Phase II of the project, Loudoun will not be able to compete for relatively large public sector and, in some cases, corporate clients who will only locate their employees within a specified distance from public transportation,” the resolution reads. In response to growing worries over the project’s price tag, not to mention concerns over the use of a Project Labor Agreement on the Phase II project, the resolution also states the EDC “expects the Loudoun Board of Supervisors to exhibit fiscal responsibility and sensibility while planContinued On Page 4
Loudoun Business/Kara Clark
As construction on the Reston Station Metro stop along Wiehle Avenue in Reston progresses, elected officials in Loudoun County are still debating whether to financially support the extension of rail service into the county beyond Dulles Airport. Supporters say the extension of rail services will bolster the local economy, while those opposing the project point to excessive construction costs and maintenance fees that won't be known for years to come.
Forum Touts County’s Data Center Market By Kara Clark, Staff Writer Loudoun County is leading the nation, and some may argue the world, when it comes to its growing data center base. The Department of Economic Development and the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce hosted a Data
Center Forum Feb. 29 at the Loudoun County Public Schools Administration Building in Broadlands. An audience numbering more than 150 listened to speakers and panelists talk up the positive traits of Loudoun’s data center base, as well as look to the future and possible improvements that can be made. PRSRT STD U.S. Postage
PAID Permit #78 Springfield, VA
Assistant Director of Economic Development Buddy Rizer, who for years has served as the business development officer recruiting data center users to locate in the county, spoke about how the changes in technology have benefited Loudoun’s ability to continue to attract data centers. “Computing has become ever present and is used almost anywhere you go,” he said. “It really has driven a ton of the demand. Technology continues to grow and all that infrastructure is needed in Loudoun County.” Also driving the demand is the need for virtual storage, the emergence of digital medical records, the move to cloud computing, government consolidation, video on demand, electronic trading and
commerce and wireless apps. There are two types of data centers, both of which can be found in Loudoun: an enterprise data center serves a single user, while collocations host multiple users, lease space and have independent or shared staff. Facebook, Visa and Amazon currently operate enterprise data centers in Loudoun, while Equinix, Latisys and Digital Realty Trust are examples of operators who use collocated facilities. “All in all there’s almost 5 million square feet of data centers based in Loudoun County,” Rizer surmised. And all that storage space accommodates the 50 percent of the world’s Internet traffic passing through Loudoun. Many data center operators in recent Continued On Page 9