n LOUDOUN
6 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 8, NO. 34
10 | n EDUCATION
12 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
15 | n LEGAL NOTICES
We’ve got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com
25
JULY 13, 2023
Data Centers Pose Planning, Budget Puzzle BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
As the county budget returns to pre-pandemic norms, and supervisors and planners enter the final phase of rewriting the zoning ordinance, one industry’s success continues to pose a tricky challenge: data centers. Through years of effort and billions of dollars of investment, Loudoun County has become home to the largest data center market on the planet. That has also meant huge influxes of tax revenue for the county government, mostly from the property tax on the computer equipment inside. The county’s fiscal year 2024 budget, which began July 1, anticipates almost $561 million in revenues just from that tax—just shy of the county government’s entire $588 million general fund, even before considering real estate taxes on the land beneath them. And that land is valuable. The top 10 real estate owners in Loudoun by value are all data center companies. Prices for some prime data center land now top $4 million an acre, pricing out other
PLANNING PUZZLE continues on page 33
Contributed/Danielle Nadler
The Ditka family of Leesburg dropping off the food they were able to collect through their neighborhood Snack Drive.
Community Campaign Stocks Up on School Snacks BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com
Summer break for some means no school, less busy routines, vacations, and long days at the pool. For others, it also means gearing up for the new school year
with supplies. Loudoun Education Foundation Executive Director Danielle Nadler said this time of year a lot of generous people in the community reach out to LEF about doing school supply drives to help schools with fewer resources.
She said they often get asked, “what are the biggest needs?” The answer may not be what you think. “The biggest need is snacks,” she said.
Free shingle upgrade with all new contracts signed in the month of May!
ECRWSSEDDM
540-441-7649
HartleyHomeExteriors.com
Free upgrade to top quality architectural shingles. Must mention this ad at time of appointment. The Best Choice for Roofing Replacement
SNACK FUNDRAISER continues on page 32
Permit #1374 Merrifield VA
PAID
PRESRT STD U.S. Postage