Dranesville Supervisor Jimmy Bierman wants Fairfax County at the table as Virginia rewrites its data center rulebook.

"The whole point is to keep the conversation going. We want to have a seat at the table," Bierman said at the Board of Supervisors' Oct. 27 meeting, where the board voted unanimously to direct county staff to stay closely engaged with Gov. Abigail Spanberger's administration on data center policy, FFXnow reported.

The vote passed without opposition.

Sully District Supervisor Kathy Smith introduced the measure, saying the county needs to be fully engaged and ensure its needs and experiences are represented in the statewide discussion. She stressed the importance of having a voice in the process, a sentiment her colleagues shared, according to FFXnow.

The directive requires county staff to report back on their activities within 120 days. Staff were asked to focus on three areas: evaluating community benefit plans that push developers to address local impacts, improving communication with residents on data center projects, and coordinating with state agencies and utilities on energy affordability and infrastructure demand.

State action prompted the push

The board's directive follows an executive order Spanberger signed Sept. 18 laying out what she described as accountability measures for data centers and artificial intelligence. In announcing the order, Spanberger said Virginia had previously lived with a patchwork of inconsistencies in planning and regulating data center facilities, FFXnow reported.

Spanberger is also calling on the General Assembly to take regulatory steps during its 2027 session, which opens Jan. 13. Among her requests is a ban on non-disclosure agreements between localities and data center developers. Fairfax officials say they don't use such agreements when reviewing submitted plans.

The executive order also creates a state Artificial Intelligence Task Force to address issues including workforce displacement, data privacy and cybersecurity.

Supervisors weigh in

Board Chairman Jeff McKay said he was confident in the county's regulatory foundation but acknowledged room for improvement, according to FFXnow. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said the county may need to update some of its policies depending on what the Spanberger administration does. Mason District Supervisor Andres Jimenez said he hopes future state policies will continue to allow localities flexibility.

Local context

Data centers are banned in residential districts in Fairfax County. Until September 2024, they needed only administrative approvals in industrial and certain office districts. The board then adopted tighter restrictions on by-right developments, including size limits and minimum distances from homes. Those rules did not apply to projects already under review, drawing criticism from opponents, FFXnow reported.

Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) of McLean, who represents Great Falls and McLean in the House of Delegates, called Spanberger's measures positive steps forward when they were unveiled. Sullivan was honored in September by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters for his work on clean energy legislation and addressing the impacts of data centers during the 2026 session.

County staff are expected to report back to the board by late February 2027, based on the 120-day timeline.