Planning Commission

Frederick County · 2026-06-03 · More Frederick County meetings

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[0:19] >>Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I
[0:20] call the June 3, 2026 meeting of the
[0:21] Frederick County planning commission
[0:23] order. The invocation will beOffered by
[0:26] Bobby Elster from (INAUDIBLE) Baptist
[0:31] Church. Please remain standing for the
[0:32] Pledge of Allegiance.
[0:39] >>Let us pray. Heavenly father, we
[0:44] thank you for this amazing time of year
[0:45] that we get to experience your creation
[0:46] come alive and new life, Lord. I thank
[0:52] you, father, that we can gather as a
[0:53] community and express our views about
[0:54] matters of concern for us.I thank you
[1:00] for the planning commission that is
[1:01] done their due diligence in bringing
[1:02] forth something that would benefit all.
[1:08] I am reminded of James chapter 1 where
[1:09] it says be quick to listen, slow to
[1:10] speak and slow to anger. I pray God
[1:15] tonight will be expressed in that way,
[1:16] in Jesus's name, amen.
[1:17] >>Will you lead us in the pledge,
[1:18] please?
[1:20] >>I pledge allegiance to the flag of
[1:21] the United States of America and to the
[1:22] Republic for which it stands, One
[1:25] nation, under God, indivisible, with
[1:29] liberty and justice for all.
[1:35] >>Thank you, thank you, Pastor.
[1:43] That leads us to the adoption of the
[1:44] agenda. I would like to propose two
[1:45] changes, I would like to move items 8B
[1:46] and 8C, which are a public hearingAt a
[1:53] conditional use permit that we have on
[1:54] the agenda for tonight, would like to
[1:55] move those to the July meetingAnd I
[1:56] would like to moveItem 8DUp to item 8 a
[2:02] and slide D,Item AA back to 8B.
[2:13] Be glad to entertain a motion for that
[2:14] change. I have a motion, is there a
[2:15] second?We have a motion and a second.
[2:16] Any discussion?All those in favor
[2:22] signify by saying aye.
[2:23] >>Aye.
[2:24] >>Motion carries.The March 18 meeting,,
[2:32] Comments, corrections, additions to the
[2:33] minutes?Glad to receive a motion to
[2:39] accept those as presented.
[2:40] >>I make a motion to approve the
[2:41] minutes.
[2:45] >>Is there a second?
[2:46] >>Second.
[2:47] >>All in favor say aye.
[2:48] >>Aye. The minutes are adopted.
[2:51] Committee reports. And reports to my
[2:52] right? Do we have any?Committee reports
[2:53] to my left?
[2:56] >>I do, Mr. share.Frederick water did
[2:59] not have remote board meeting in May,
[3:03] there was a special meeting toListen to
[3:05] Wiley WilsonIn the board authorized $33
[3:09] millionFor the water supply, that's
[3:17] part one of these fit initiative. We
[3:18] also receivedAn update on the GIS
[3:20] system and improvementsOf Frederick
[3:22] water and weReviewed us similar rehab
[3:26] projectTo the Berryville gravity, 4100
[3:30] linear feetOf sewer was lined and
[3:33] should last us 50 years.That's it.
[3:34] >>Very good. Any other reports to my
[3:39] left? I know the difference. I have one
[3:45] from the transportation committee who
[3:46] met this past Monday and there are
[3:47] couple of things I want to point out. I
[3:49] know social mediaIn Winchester Star has
[3:52] been noticed that (INAUDIBLE) will be
[3:59] re-decking and resurfacing the bridge
[4:00] on route 7/81, the work will begin on
[4:01] Thursday nightAnd hopefully inBy early
[4:04] Monday morning, the traffic will beDown
[4:09] to one land on each of those bridges
[4:10] while the work is going on.I would say
[4:19] leave out early if you have to go that
[4:20] way. The second and third thing we have
[4:21] learned from the sheriff department is
[4:22] the speed cameras that have been put up
[4:23] in school zones which have only been up
[4:24] for about three monthsHave clocked in
[4:29] 18,000 violations.That's on Route seven
[4:39] Over by Millbrook and red would run on
[4:40] 522 near Gainsborough middle. Slow
[4:41] down, people.Those are school zones.
[4:42] Last but not least, June 23 there is a
[4:45] V.public hearingAt Millbrook high school
[4:50] from 4 PM to 6 PMTo presentThe designs
[4:54] for theExit 317On I 81, That is the
[5:03] Stevenson exit, up whereThe steakhouse
[5:06] and those things are. That is a report
[5:09] on the transportation committeeAnd that
[5:12] leads us to the board report.
[5:15] >>Mr. Chairman, Commissioners,There
[5:21] were three itemsThat the planning
[5:23] commissionSentTo the Board of
[5:27] Supervisors or action, Public hearings
[5:38] were held on these three items.
[5:39] Ordinance amendment to the Frederick
[5:40] County code modifications chapter 165
[5:41] zoning ordinance, That was approved.
[5:47] Ordinance amendment to the Frederick
[5:48] County code modifications to chapter
[5:49] 144, the subdivision ordinance, that
[5:50] was approved also, AndOrdinance
[5:58] amendment to the Frederick County code
[5:59] modification to amend chapter 161
[6:00] sewage disposal and sewers, That was
[6:02] also approved. Mr. Chairman, that
[6:06] concludes my report.
[6:08] >>Thank you, sir.I didn't see anyone
[6:11] from Winchester. Is there anyone here
[6:13] from Winchester?Okay.Good, I didn't
[6:17] skip them.
[6:25] Okay, that leads us to item 7, which is
[6:26] comments, this is a time where if you
[6:27] would like to address the planning
[6:28] commission concerning an item that is
[6:29] not on her agenda this evening this
[6:34] would be the time to do so if you would
[6:35] like to speak to the planning
[6:36] commission, please come to the podium,
[6:37] state your name, your districts and
[6:41] limit your comments to three minutes or
[6:42] less. Would anybody like to address the
[6:43] planning commission? I see none so I
[6:44] will close the comment period. This
[6:48] leads us to public hearings. With the
[6:49] reshuffling of ourAgenda, the first
[6:55] item up will be a draft update of the
[6:56] 2026 '27Interstate primary and road
[6:59] improvement plans.Mr. Bednar, good
[7:02] evening, sir.
[7:04] >>Thank you, Mr. chair.Aaron Bittner,
[7:14] planner two. This is the annual update
[7:15] of the interstate primary and secondary
[7:16] road plans, you're probably quite
[7:17] familiar with this, the secondary road
[7:18] planFor the general public, that does
[7:19] require a public hearing. For ease we
[7:23] complying all three plans into one
[7:24] package. Moving into the interstate
[7:30] Road improvement plan, the main changes
[7:31] here have been verbiage updates to
[7:32] bring in line with the state code and
[7:33] then alsoWe have been advancing 310 and
[7:36] 313 improvements in priority to reflect
[7:46] Being funded. For primary Road
[7:47] improvement plan there are no changes
[7:48] currently propose however we do
[7:49] anticipate having changes come from the
[7:50] comprehensive plan bottling exercise,
[7:51] so there will beSubstantial changes
[7:52] coming in the future.
[8:01] As for our secondary roads, we have the
[8:02] Redbud Road realignment, this is the
[8:03] major road improvement project on this
[8:04] list, this is a carryover from the
[8:05] funding method, V.and the state has
[8:10] turned over to smart scale. This is the
[8:11] last of the projects funded through the
[8:12] old method, so once this has gone, This
[8:16] slide will likely be disappearing.As
[8:23] for the rest of our secondary roads we
[8:24] have are nonservice road improvement
[8:25] projects, main change year has been
[8:28] Gross Church Road is been advanced as
[8:29] it is now been scheduled, the full
[8:30] schedulesAre all in your packet an
[8:32] annual report.And then we have are on
[8:35] schedule road improvement projects,
[8:38] these are unpaved roadsThat are aiming
[8:43] to be completed but haven't been
[8:44] scheduled, the two additions here are
[8:47] veterans Road in Shady Creek Road,
[8:48] these were both added due to petitions.
[8:52] The transportation committee reviewed
[8:53] and next recommended approval of this
[8:54] documentAt their meeting this year,
[8:55] this item is presented to you as a
[9:01] public hearing item following that
[9:02] public hearing staff are seeking
[9:03] recommendations to the Board of
[9:04] Supervisors, that public hearing is
[9:05] scheduled for June 10 next week. Staff
[9:10] are available at this point for
[9:11] questions.
[9:12] >>Any questions for Mr. Bittner?In
[9:13] question to my right?Thank you very
[9:14] much, sir.
[9:16] This is a public hearing, if anybody
[9:26] would like to speak to this item this
[9:27] would be the time to do so. State your
[9:28] name, district, please limit your
[9:29] comments to three minutes or less. Good
[9:30] evening.
[9:31] >>Could evening, my name is Todd Lake
[9:32] and I am here representing Garrett
[9:33] Farms LLC. I stand before you as the
[9:35] third generation of my family to
[9:36] represent or to present to this
[9:38] commission over a 40 year span.My
[10:02] grandfather began his effort more than
[10:03] four decades ago and my mother
[10:04] continued in 1994, and I am here to
[10:05] carry on the legacy. I'm here to speak
[10:06] on the non-surface road improvement
[10:07] project in this plan. Specifically,
[10:08] veterans Road in Middletown between
[10:09] Meadow Mills and Chapel Road. When I
[10:10] was growing up this stretch of veterans
[10:11] road was unpaved due to my
[10:12] grandfather's persistence and advocacy
[10:13] for the county had made the decision to
[10:14] pave a portion of the road in 1994. Due
[10:15] to budget constraints the project was
[10:16] stopped short ending at fourth Street
[10:17] and leaving the remaining .52 miles
[10:18] unpaved. For more than 30 yearsThis
[10:20] partial completion has created
[10:21] confusion and frustration for the
[10:22] surrounding community. The roadThat was
[10:31] intended to serve residents effectively
[10:32] was only improved halfway. Today that
[10:33] remaining stretch has finally been
[10:34] placed on the counties unscheduled
[10:35] list. I am here to respectfully ask you
[10:47] move this project forward. Our family
[10:48] farm spends much of the length of this
[10:49] unpaid section. We along with the
[10:50] residents will not rely on this road
[10:51] are unified in support to seeing this
[10:52] completed. I understandThe cost today
[10:53] is far greater than it would've been in
[10:54] 1994. However,The need has only grown
[10:59] and the consequences of leaving an
[11:00] unfinished continued impact those who
[11:01] live and travel along this road every
[11:06] day. I leave you with this thought.
[11:07] Completing only half of a project
[11:08] ultimately limits its value.It's like
[11:15] designing and building an airplane but
[11:16] choosing not to install landing year to
[11:17] save money. What could have been fully
[11:18] functional and effective is left
[11:19] incomplete, unable to serve its purpose.
[11:27] Tonight you have the opportunity to
[11:28] correct the decision made more than 30
[11:29] years ago and to provide a practical
[11:30] lasting solution for the residents of
[11:31] this community. On behalf of my family,
[11:32] our farm, and the neighbors, I
[11:34] respectfully ask for your support
[11:35] moving this project forward.Thank you
[11:37] for your consideration.
[11:40] >>What anybody else like to speak to
[11:41] this manner?I will close the public
[11:42] hearing.Planning commissioners, what's
[11:47] your pleasure here?
[11:53] >>Mr. Chairman, I make a motion we move
[11:57] this forward to the board with
[11:58] recommendation for approval.
[11:59] >>We have a motion, is there a second?
[12:00] >>Second.
[12:01] >>We have a motion and a second. Any
[12:04] further discussion?Okay.Doctor, can you
[12:08] get (INAUDIBLE)?
[12:12] >>
[12:13] [CALLING ROLL]
[12:26] >>The motion carries, this will go to
[12:27] the Board of Supervisors July 8.. Thank
[12:28] you very much.That takes us toItem 8B,
[12:38] which was previously 8A, a rezoning
[12:39] 04-26 for Virginia technology partner.
[12:40] Let me, I would assumeThat's what folks
[12:45] are here for, so let me make a couple
[12:46] of editorial commentsJust so you know.
[12:51] If you are following the calendar, You
[12:54] might be interested to know thatTuesday
[12:58] of next week we will have a work
[12:59] session, planningWork session right
[13:00] here in this roomAnd we will be
[13:04] Discussing the Winchester Gateway LLC
[13:08] application which is also a data center
[13:12] . That will be similar to the work
[13:13] session that we had for the project we
[13:16] are discussing tonight, that will begin
[13:17] at 6 PM right here in this room. We do
[13:20] anticipate public hearing on thatBut
[13:23] that is not yetConfirmed. As for
[13:27] tonight, Mr. Pierson, let me speak.
[13:34] >>Mr. Bittner for headcount?
[13:46] >>If you did not sign up and you wish
[13:47] to sign up, Mr. Bittner who was just up
[13:48] here has the list.
[13:49] >>Forty Seven are signed up to speak.
[13:50] >>Forty Seven? Okay. That's fine, we
[13:51] want everyone to have an opportunityTo
[13:56] speak. All I am asking is we've got to
[13:57] maintain a decorum or we will be here
[13:58] till 6 o'clock tomorrow morning.So if
[13:59] we understandThe concerns, if you are
[14:02] here for the work session you understand
[14:06] We grilled the applicant pretty good on
[14:07] those concerns, soI would just ask that
[14:11] you keep your comments brief, everyone
[14:12] will have three minutes, but we would
[14:13] appreciateThe minimizing of theHand
[14:21] clapping, cheering and so on that are
[14:22] going to delay us. We also ask when you
[14:23] come to the cup podium to speak we will
[14:25] list off two names. If you are the next
[14:29] one, but kind the person who is there
[14:30] so we can move thisAlong
[14:34] quickly. Behind. Mr. Pearson?
[14:35] >>Thank you. This is John Bishop's
[14:41] case, so think warmly of him as he
[14:42] enjoysJamaicaAnd I have to do this for
[14:49] him. When you graduate with a planning
[14:50] degree they say they're sending a
[14:51] crystal ball in the mail,John must've
[14:52] got here his, heBought his ticket six
[14:59] months ago and got on the plane today.
[15:00] This is an application for 220 acres in
[15:03] the Stonewall magisterial district to
[15:04] rezone the property from the RA zoning
[15:07] district to TM technology manufacturing
[15:12] , general locations 1420, arrest Church
[15:13] Road in the proposed use as mentioned
[15:14] is the data center Park.Using the
[15:21] countywide locator map the area in red
[15:22] is the general location of the property
[15:23] in question in the Stonewall
[15:26] magisterial District, just west of exit
[15:27] 323 outlined in purpleOn your zoning
[15:31] map you can see the property isZoned
[15:34] RA, the adjoining property to the east,
[15:39] Flying J as well as a number of other
[15:40] small businesses along Zachary Ann Lane
[15:41] includingThe cat rental and then the
[15:44] properties to the west are all
[15:48] Residential subdivisions includingThe
[15:50] roads, McBeth, Jolene, Timberlake
[15:58] Slane, the Ridgeway state subdivision
[15:59] in the properties on the north side of
[16:00] Rush Church Road, a residential and
[16:01] agricultural in nature. This is the
[16:03] long-range map for this area, The
[16:07] candycane stripe colorCalled mixed-use
[16:09] industrial office, The property to these
[16:15] Our orange business into the
[16:16] southeastern generalIndustrial.As
[16:21] mentioned, the properties west this
[16:22] zone and planTo remain rural in nature.
[16:26] That's a location mapWithout all the
[16:28] colors on it for context, exit 323
[16:33] Amazon distribution, around 11, West
[16:36] Virginia is just off the north partOf
[16:39] this map. To reorient youAs the concept
[16:42] plan actuallyDisplays a lot clearerWith
[16:47] north on the right side of the screen,
[16:50] this is an illustrative image from the
[16:51] applicant'sExhibit showing the
[16:55] conceptual layout of how the property
[16:56] could be developed in the futureIf the
[16:58] resulting is approved. Casual note is
[17:01] about 10 plans as well as an office
[17:02] componentAnd three substation patents,
[17:06] the requisite stormwater management and
[17:10] a new road called technology Park Road
[17:11] that will go throughThe property can be
[17:13] built by the applicant.. By the
[17:29] numbers, 10 to 11 data center buildings
[17:30] totaling 2,000,000 ft. , likely three
[17:31] substation pads, 6 acres each, up to
[17:32] 288 diesel generators as backup for the
[17:33] data center buildings and 24,000Square
[17:34] feet of office space.
[17:39] Your comprehensive plan, the section
[17:40] that speaks directly to this property
[17:41] is the Northeast land use plan. Back in
[17:42] 2023, there is a wide range ofTax that
[17:46] applies to this area and I've snipped a
[17:50] couple for the slide but I will
[17:51] summarize it as I'm sure you've heard
[17:52] the staff report. This area of the
[17:54] county particularly the mixed-use
[17:58] industrial office planned areas are
[18:14] intended to be filled by targeted
[18:15] growth sectors identified by the EDA
[18:16] which does include information
[18:17] technology and data center style uses.
[18:18] However, those uses that contribute
[18:19] significantly to air noise and light
[18:20] pollution may not be appropriate in
[18:21] this area of the county as well. It
[18:22] should be noted and it is clearly noted
[18:23] in the comp plan that this particular
[18:24] areaDoes have significantTransmission
[18:25] capabilitiesWith (INAUDIBLE) running
[18:30] for it. The plan was written before the
[18:31] proposed, Show this for context as well,
[18:36] again, proposed Nextera substation on
[18:37] this propertyThat you will review for
[18:39] 2232 and then there's the 500 kV line
[18:43] There as well.
[18:54] Additionally these areas are
[18:55] anticipated to be highly visible in the
[18:56] both the building and site design
[18:57] should be of high quality but also
[18:58] enhancedBuffers and screening should be
[19:00] Applied along roadways and surrounded
[19:01] residences. Call application should
[19:05] seek to mitigate their impact on those
[19:06] residences.
[19:11] The applicant included a proper
[19:12] statement that I will overview, you saw
[19:13] sitting at the daisOur redlined minor
[19:20] change that we received around lunch
[19:21] time around from the applicant, that's
[19:22] highlighted in yellow on the slide and
[19:23] the ensuing slides to show you what
[19:24] they modified, so they are proffering
[19:27] generalized development plan which I
[19:28] will show in a minute so that will be
[19:30] built in general conformance with that
[19:31] plan.That they're going to prohibit all
[19:37] uses except for computing
[19:38] infrastructure data struck processor
[19:39] and data centers, they used at Flex
[19:42] Pack in there in the proper statement
[19:43] on the website, butThey ever move that
[19:45] uses well, so the only remaining uses
[19:48] other than data centers that could be
[19:52] developed on the property if the
[19:53] properties rezoned are uses that would
[19:56] be later added to the zoning district
[19:57] by an ordinance amendment approved by
[19:59] the Board of Supervisors. Additionally,
[20:02] the accessory uses that support data
[20:03] centers are includedAnd listed there,
[20:08] they proffered into a traffic impact
[20:09] analysis and implement the associated
[20:11] improvements if any of the uses proposed
[20:15] Exceed what they studied in the TIA,
[20:16] there's perimeter landscaping including
[20:18] a 75 foot buffer area and an 8 footFirm
[20:21] along the Carrollton and Ridgeway
[20:22] subdivisions. This is the generalized
[20:25] development plan that I referred to
[20:30] earlier that they proffer to, the
[20:31] property being built in general
[20:32] conformanceWith, it's largely in
[20:35] compliance with the illustrative sketch
[20:36] but brings additional detail as to the
[20:41] locations of the plantings, the
[20:42] setbacks, structure locations and some
[20:44] of the stormwater floodplains as well.
[20:52] One of our GIS text provided a rough
[20:53] estimate of physical distanceFrom
[20:58] existing structures to the proposed
[20:59] structures on the generalized
[21:00] development plan so those are shown here
[21:04] and in some cases they range from 1000
[21:05] feetDown to I think the smallest, the
[21:11] closest one is on the other side, north
[21:12] side of Rush Church Road and that's only
[21:15] 261 feet, just there for planning
[21:16] commissioners context.
[21:22] The applicant provided per the planning
[21:23] commission's request and the work
[21:24] session someView shed analysis as an
[21:25] attempt to identifyWhat could be
[21:28] visited with bull and all of them speak
[21:37] to this in further detail but to
[21:38] explain how that graphic works each one
[21:39] of these lines shown on the core
[21:40] graphic corresponds to one of the
[21:41] exhibits provided in the packet and is
[21:42] numbered accordingly as to which way an
[21:43] individual will be looking and so
[21:44] there's the kind ofCross-section of
[21:49] those view lines from where those lines
[21:50] are shown on the map, The applicant can
[21:54] provide further context about this in
[21:55] their presentation.. Moving back to the
[22:02] second section of the proper statement,
[22:03] the applicant has proffered two-tier
[22:08] generators or equivalent low emission
[22:09] units and in particular permitted them
[22:10] to be for emergency use only, So you
[22:15] probably heard a lot about these are
[22:16] generators diesel generatorsRelative to
[22:20] data center use. If someone doesn't
[22:21] tear for generator they don't permit it
[22:23] for emergency use and they can run it
[22:24] duringPeak pricing circumstances for
[22:26] power, but there committing in their
[22:31] proper statements to operate them for
[22:32] emergency use only.The clear
[22:33] clarificationBetween previous versions
[22:38] of the proffers they have seen.Also
[22:40] limiting generator testingMonday
[22:43] through Friday 1 to 5 in the initial
[22:45] yellowsAnd dictates no more than 50%
[22:56] will be tested at any given time, they
[23:00] proper to a 70 dB limitation where the
[23:01] property abuts the industrial and
[23:03] business zone properties to the east of
[23:04] theAnd then 60 DBAs were the property
[23:08] abuts residential to the westRequire
[23:10] use ofSound mitigating equipment on the
[23:14] chillers and the other sound producing
[23:17] items and required supplementary
[23:21] Environmental authorities impact
[23:22] assessment based on the equipmentThat
[23:30] is installed in the property is
[23:31] constructed. A significant list of
[23:32] building materials that they intend to
[23:33] use for the architectural I would note
[23:34] that the proper lessons that we at
[23:35] least one of thoseAnd had previously
[23:36] said they would use some of those, So
[23:41] it's like further clarification but not
[23:42] binding to use all of themAnd then to
[23:46] proffer the future of design guidelines
[23:47] manual, That is not yet created and is
[23:52] unclear as to what it would contain
[23:53] until it is created. The last one is
[23:58] nuisance a work session and that's a
[23:59] $10,000 to purchase a sound meter for
[24:02] the user other thanAs mentioned on GDP
[24:08] because it toWould be built through the
[24:10] process andUpgrades around 11 and rest
[24:20] Church Road, right-of-way reservation
[24:26] the future widening of Russ Church
[24:27] Road, the construction of technology
[24:28] Park Road, Abandon Ruebuck Lane where
[24:33] it extends into the properly and
[24:34] prohibits access from rubric and to the
[24:35] property or out of the property, for
[24:38] that matter, the dedication of an
[24:39] additional 25 foot right-of-way, The
[24:48] paving of Ruebuck and McBeth Lane to
[24:49] rustic standards in the construction of
[24:50] turnaroundIn the Macbeth Lane is the
[24:53] addition to that proffer that came in
[24:54] late today, and then all deliveriesFor
[24:55] developmentAre taking place outside of
[24:58] peak hours.The signage is limitedTo
[25:03] West Church Road.From a lighting
[25:08] perspective, no more than 25 feet above
[25:09] grade and lighting within 50 feet of
[25:11] the property line will be
[25:15] perpendicular, facing away from the
[25:16] property line, $150, Sorry, thousand
[25:22] gross bare feet, $1000 square feet of
[25:25] constructed building. On the water and
[25:26] sewer sides a limitedGallons per day
[25:29] usage of 120,000 gallons per dayHow
[25:33] they will construct all on-site
[25:34] improvementsTo the property for water
[25:36] and sewer.The support will(INAUDIBLE)
[25:47] for the service tracks and he will not
[25:48] use any groundwater for any reason.
[25:52] Proffer eight is relative to cultural
[25:53] resourcesInvestigation, preservation
[25:55] and architecturalStudy of prior
[26:00] property to MVP, prior to MVP approval
[26:03] To structures that are on the property
[26:07] And then a further archaeological
[26:08] assessment.Diabetes for nine cousins
[26:12] and thousand dollar contributionCalled
[26:20] infrastructure programming is typical,
[26:21] CPI is slated for all monetaryConference
[26:23] that
[26:38] Has included in further detail, staff
[26:39] lists a number of positive concerns for
[26:40] the application, the positives are that
[26:41] from a land-use perspective it's a
[26:42] conference plan, it is a low overall
[26:43] traffic generation for other proposals
[26:44] As well as. They are seeking to
[26:56] accommodate the roadway, there is some
[26:57] buffering in the near residential
[26:58] properties. Staff still has concerns
[27:14] about the sound analysis and Alexis
[27:15] curses here at the table and happy to
[27:16] answer questionsOn the planning
[27:17] commission will get to that. The
[27:22] applicant has additional information
[27:23] they will describe to you about how
[27:24] they further studied the topicDuring
[27:25] their presentation, The equipment
[27:28] updates, attenuation should beProperty
[27:32] keep the facility up to date continue
[27:37] to minimize noise in the future. We
[27:38] have concerns about whether the
[27:39] transition zone one is inherently
[27:40] industrialThe rat maximum about people,
[27:47] WhatThose go hand-in-hand with the
[27:59] noise getting medication issues. The
[28:00] berm is not specific at this point
[28:01] given there is significantly floodplain
[28:02] through the partParvo. Is not
[28:12] abundantly clear in the proper sailor
[28:13] out theAnd if theEasements to. This is
[28:31] presented as a public hearing item, we
[28:32] seek a recommendation following the
[28:33] public hearing to forward to the Board
[28:36] of Supervisors on this proposed
[28:37] rezoning, I am happy to answer any
[28:38] questions, As I mentioned, Alexis from
[28:41] Trinity consultants is done the peer
[28:42] reviewsHere is available as well. Mr.
[28:45] Chairman?
[28:49] >>Any questions for Mr. Pearson to my
[28:50] left?Any questions tomorrow right?Mr.
[28:56] Whitaker
[29:07] >>Where they supposed to be getting
[29:08] their water.
[29:09] >>The applicant is going to connect to
[29:14] the Frederick water system.
[29:15] >>They are using groundwater.
[29:16] >>Asked.It inExtracts the entirety from
[29:17] theCity of Winchester. The city system
[29:22] is the water system.
[29:23] >>For them to say they're not going to
[29:27] use groundwaterIs it accurate?
[29:28] >>I think they are going to tap private
[29:33] groundwater sources on the property.
[29:36] >>Thank you for the clarity.
[29:42] >>Mr. Pearson, earlier today we received
[29:46] A document that said there were
[29:47] neighbors who did not, Who took no
[29:51] exception with this project. Where
[29:52] those neighbors located? Can you show
[29:53] us on the map? I did recognize the
[29:57] street name as being one adjacent to
[29:58] this project.
[30:01] >>I will let the applicant provide
[30:02] further details. The addresses and I saw
[30:13] (INAUDIBLE) showed her the programming
[30:14] of believeAnd they can speak in greater
[30:16] detail to that.
[30:17] >>Okay, thank you. Can we ask Alexis
[30:18] some questions?I hate for her to come
[30:21] all this way.
[30:22] >>Alexis, If you want, you can use the
[30:25] microphone there.
[30:28] >>At evening.
[30:31] >>Good evening, thank you for being
[30:32] here. Can you talk to us about the
[30:33] receiverAnd how the increaseThat's
[30:38] proposed in decibels.
[30:39] >>When we are talking about receiver we
[30:49] are looking at towards the flying J,
[30:54] The difference is negligible, I believe
[30:55] it's about what it currently is, The
[30:56] noise level. The noise created by the
[30:58] data centerAt the flying J is not
[31:01] perceivedTo be much different.
[31:08] Looking toward the residences, it's a
[31:09] significant increaseAnd what is
[31:10] currently there. This is, Sound is
[31:16] logarithmic and if I sayIs 30 dB or, 6
[31:26] to 8 times louder than what's currently
[31:27] there, What was measured.
[31:31] >>Was how muchLadder?
[31:32] >>6 to 8 times letter.
[31:33] >>If I am in my backyardCooking a steak
[31:38] on the grillI could have a lot more
[31:43] Sound is what you're telling me?
[31:45] >>You could.
[31:46] >>Okay.All right.
[31:47] >>Mr. Chairman?
[32:02] >>Thank you for being here tonight, the
[32:03] chairman indicatedWe had gotten a
[32:05] memorandum titled peer review member of
[32:14] . Could you just maybe give us a little
[32:15] context on what that means or what the
[32:16] procedures were that went into this
[32:17] document?
[32:18] >>Sure. So we were provided with the
[32:19] applicant'sAmbient noise survey that
[32:25] was doneJanuary, we're excited thatAnd
[32:39] then our word in the 19th which
[32:40] discussed the changes they have put
[32:41] forward. We reviewed both of thoseAnd
[32:45] gave our professional opinionOn what we
[32:47] were seeingAnd maybe what was either
[33:06] >>Okay. Greedy off the report I am
[33:07] under the executive summary section
[33:08] where there is a comment on the
[33:09] Fruitville data center acoustic
[33:10] evaluation report. As a, The data
[33:16] center in this best case was scenario,
[33:17] all chillers on, all generators off,
[33:21] normal operating mode, Will be
[33:25] affecting many nearby receptor
[33:32] Tremendously. A current various. To the
[33:48] left or the residence located, the
[33:49] western perimeter than the noise letter
[33:50] Levels underThe normal operating new
[33:56] generators, just the normal pulling
[33:57] childrenThis is perceived as being 2 to
[34:08] 4 times as loud asThe proposed 50 dB of
[34:24] most of the residential property lines.
[34:29] Companion who nowThat level itselfJune
[34:55] It specifically calls out we need to
[34:56] measure was there so we understand
[34:57] what's there right now.
[34:58] >>Significant change from where we are
[34:59] now to where at this proposal to scope
[35:03] forward even in the best case scenario
[35:04] where it's coolingAnd 288 generators
[35:10] are running?
[35:11] >>Correct.
[35:14] >>Thank you for the clarification in
[35:15] the report and analysis.
[35:19] >>Any other questions? Yes, sir. Yes
[35:20] ma'amHypothetical information?
[35:21] >>No, I wouldn't say it was
[35:43] hypothetical information. The applicant
[35:44] did measurements, stated those in the
[35:45] report, we are able to look at what the
[35:46] noise level is, that's measured.And then
[35:50] The other document which they put
[35:51] forward says we are going to useThis
[35:53] type of chiller, we are going to use
[35:55] this type ofGenerator, These are the
[36:00] levels that the manufacturers have
[36:01] provide us. Then they input that intoAn
[36:06] acoustical analysis program called
[36:07] sound plan, Which is something issues
[36:10] industrywideIt deals with not only the
[36:22] noise but also the contours of the
[36:23] land. The looks of any kind of barriers
[36:24] that are there, so I believe the
[36:25] applicant hasBarriers on the roof and
[36:28] that any of the chillers on the roof
[36:29] are actually shieldedOr shield he was
[36:32] on the roof to essentially make that
[36:34] pathIt's a straight shot to the
[36:47] property line. Having a barrier on the
[36:48] roof, some of the noises reflected off.
[36:50] It takes that into consideration and
[36:51] says if we use these generatorsAnd this
[36:54] is where the data center is in these
[36:57] are the barriers that we put in line
[36:58] and we are using, We are limiting our
[37:05] generators, using type for generators
[37:06] and this is a sound label that we know
[37:07] those have, this is also going to be
[37:08] there.. It's not hypothetical. It's
[37:12] based on information that exists.
[37:13] >>The word ifSounds iffy. The first
[37:19] presentation in the first sentence, use
[37:21] the wordOn all the data that was
[37:25] brought in for about the signs, And the
[37:29] word hypotheticals in that first
[37:30] sentence., What they're doing, what
[37:40] will he do, absolutely do. If this and
[37:49] if that.
[37:50] I can address that, he's probably
[37:51] better and Alexis can. The sound model
[37:52] and the rules of theTurn of written in
[37:58] the Burma-Shave room. There wasTo
[38:03] achieve a certain DBA and use the sound
[38:04] model they can justify to make it your
[38:08] point is accurate that the modeling
[38:09] itself is in no way bindingThose
[38:13] proffered requirements are the things
[38:14] that they have offered to try to give
[38:15] the county confidenceIn their cable, the
[38:26] And the model reports he can feasibly
[38:27] get there. Does that make sense?
[38:28] >>Nowhere and binding, this only the
[38:29] proper statement. 62 Thank you.
[38:38] >>Any other questions for Mr. Pearson?
[38:39] >>What are the legal ramificationsIf
[38:40] they surpassed the 60.What are the
[38:57] revocations if they exceed?
[38:58] >>I will speak to the first part handed
[38:59] off to Mr. Fox who takes it to the
[39:04] court system. When we have documented a
[39:05] proper violation in this case it was
[39:06] noise would collect evidence of the
[39:07] violationAnd cite the property owner,
[39:09] give them 30 days to remedy the
[39:10] violation and provide a plan of how
[39:13] they are going to, if they don't
[39:14] respond or they fail to know that Mark
[39:16] We go to the magistrateAnd follow the
[39:21] court in Mr. Fox's office takes it from
[39:22] there.
[39:29] >>That's correct. Just remind everyone,
[39:30] the proffers become part of the zoning
[39:31] ordinance of the enforcement of the
[39:32] proffers is no different than the
[39:33] enforcement of any provision of the
[39:34] existing consulting ordinance. As Mr.
[39:36] Pearson is described,We try to resolve
[39:38] these matters through working with. The
[40:03] courts have been receptive to ordering
[40:04] including monetary fines and injunctive
[40:05] relief, that will be an option there.
[40:06] >>Any other questions?To my left?
[40:11] >>Sorry, do we know what flying J
[40:14] Current DBA, I know it wasBrought up
[40:17] but I am trying to compare fine JThe
[40:18] data center.
[40:19] >>May be polyphonics with the
[40:27] applicants that study they might have a
[40:28] better idea.
[40:30] >>Okay.
[40:35] >>Did you have another question?
[40:36] >>Yes, but for Mr. Fox.If this data
[40:42] center was for national security reasons
[40:45] And they brokeSuch a covenantOn,Would
[40:59] you look this county fighting the
[41:00] federal government prices your reasons?
[41:04] [LAUGHING]. Let me rescue you, Mr. Fox.
[41:09] [ APPLAUSE ]
[41:13] >>I'm not aware that that's ever been
[41:15] the case.The federal government is not
[41:22] exempt from zoning requirements just
[41:23] because the federal government are
[41:24] based on national security, The things
[41:27] that I am familiar with our aircraft
[41:28] impact zones from the(INAUDIBLE) area
[41:30] and the federal government generally
[41:34] works with community understanding that
[41:35] people have to live there and that is a
[41:39] cooperative process that results in
[41:40] specific overlays to the zoning
[41:41] ordinanceAnd I'm kind of rambling here
[41:42] because you really third threw me a
[41:45] curve ball there,Because I don't think
[41:48] there's any indication the applicant is
[41:51] not a government entity.
[41:52] >>What we are dealing with in front of
[41:55] usIs a
[41:56] >>The couple of times the government
[42:03] has done projects in the county they
[42:04] have either leased space from someone
[42:10] who developed it, if that's the case
[42:11] the property owner has to comply, the
[42:12] federal government's exemption in no
[42:13] way carry throughThat and we have that
[42:20] for I think the Army Corps building,
[42:21] possibly for the FEMA building as well.
[42:22] The other example is the records
[42:23] facility where the purchase of property
[42:24] outrightAnd went through our processAs
[42:27] a courtesy to us.Those are the levels
[42:40] that we have dealt withIn the county
[42:43] currently.
[42:44] >>If it's for the national security for
[42:49] the military or something you have a
[42:50] big expensive battle, A long battleAnd
[42:53] probably won't be successful.
[43:00] >>Wyatt?
[43:01] >>Any other questions.
[43:02] >>I have a question to the flying
[43:07] answer to the flying J question. There
[43:08] were three measurement locations taken
[43:09] on that perimeter andDepending on which
[43:13] statistical measurement use, Ellie Q,
[43:14] which is the average measurement time,
[43:15] the averageMeasurement,Sound it was
[43:22] somewhere between 57 and 67 dB. If you
[43:27] look at it as an L 19, which is kind of
[43:28] a baselineNoise level, it was between
[43:32] 46 and 58 dB. The projections over
[43:38] Estimate no change to the alley QAnd 4
[43:50] dB for the L 90 numbers, just for a
[43:51] point ofReference, for numbers is
[43:55] rarely perceivable.
[44:01] >>Anything to my left? Anything to my
[44:02] right? Thank you, Mr. Pearson.Mr.
[44:03] Minshew? Good evening, sir.
[44:13] >>Members of the planning commission, I
[44:21] am speaking on behalf of the applicant
[44:22] tonight. I would like to start off
[44:23] thanking Mr. PearsonAnd BishopFor their
[44:28] very thorough professional work on this
[44:29] application, We have been working about
[44:33] eight months of this application and I
[44:34] want to note there professionalsAt the
[44:37] start. This is an application to rezone
[44:53] We have the applicant, the contract
[44:54] purchaser cost civil engineering,
[44:58] acoustic, power infrastructure, we can
[44:59] talk about the grid, Nextera,
[45:01] Shenandoah Valley, also engineering in
[45:04] dealing with water consumption in the
[45:06] cooling apparatus. We have a fiscal
[45:14] impact study that I don't believe Mr.
[45:15] Pearson mentioned that we will be
[45:16] touching on and lastly but not least
[45:17] the traffic.These are not within my
[45:23] areas of expertise so with your leave I
[45:24] would like to hand the ball overSeven
[45:28] bullet points at the startSubstation my
[45:34] Nextera that is part of the grid, you
[45:38] saw there was a 500 KB lineThat is
[45:50] literally right adjacent this property.
[45:51] On this property will be a Shenandoah
[45:52] Valley electrodermal electrical
[45:57] cooperative substation. That's unusual.
[45:58] Normally would have distant substations
[45:59] from a data center. You've got
[46:00] transmission lines, you've got the
[46:02] Transmission lines. Here,Betsy the grid
[46:11] Comfortable parcel that is due south of
[46:12] this for SovietYou go into the
[46:19] Shenandoah Valley substation on site.
[46:23] From there it becomes retail, power
[46:24] that will go out to the data centers. I
[46:28] know the chairman we originally had
[46:29] filed an ordinance exception to allow
[46:31] for overheadPower lines. We met with
[46:35] Shenandoah ValleyWe realize we will do
[46:38] that. HereDistributionLine of power
[46:43] Coming from the substation in the
[46:45] underground. That means you're not
[46:49] going to see any well transmission lines
[46:58] Of dead sinners. We offered to
[47:04] (INAUDIBLE) our existing wells. To
[47:05] Whitaker's question we are in the
[47:06] swastika, water will come to usFrom
[47:07] Frederick water, Better we will and I
[47:14] can in front of our. It's not longer
[47:27] than others in Frederick County,
[47:28] particularly manufacturing areas. We
[47:29] have receivedA clear authorization for
[47:31] the water that they can provide,
[47:33] hundred 20,000 gallons a dayAnd we will
[47:39] be dealing, talk about later how that
[47:40] will be used for your condition and
[47:41] noted that we have profferedThe ambient
[47:43] sound level and I'm sure we'll have
[47:44] conversations with noiseAnd I'll be
[47:46] yelling the floorSeveralAcres are
[48:00] adjacent to this property. I wanted to
[48:01] mention the data center useIs one that
[48:04] generates a lot of tax revenues. We
[48:09] have a study that was filed by McGuire
[48:10] which consulting that we would ask for
[48:11] anyThat this projectWill generate here
[48:17] inDollars to Frederick County over
[48:25] Several years so will create 440 jobs
[48:31] for the starting salary of $72,500 and
[48:32] will inject approximately $600 million
[48:37] in wage income into the regional
[48:38] economy. One thing that doesn't mention
[48:39] is there will be electrical engineers
[48:40] and contractorsWho will come and build
[48:42] this. Please we skilled master
[48:43] electricians, They will be paid
[48:48] pursuant to contract, hopefully they
[48:49] live in Frederick County and frankly
[48:50] one reason we are wanting to work with
[48:52] the Laurel Ridge community college is
[48:54] we would like to haveTraining facility
[48:58] here in Frederick County where will
[49:04] Those type high school jobs, we could
[49:09] be educating them and giving them jobs
[49:10] in Frederick County.The property was
[49:15] mentioned, Mr. Pearson's presentation,
[49:16] a total of 220 acres, is currently
[49:17] planned forIndustrial mixed-use office
[49:21] Uses., Toying 32 approval of theAnd.
[49:40] You can see the nexus of session is to
[49:50] Right where it says to be a technology
[49:54] Park that's where the substation would
[49:55] be. Tooth and jowl next to what is part
[49:57] of the grid. Additionally, Mr.
[50:00] Chairman, quite often there isA worry
[50:05] that there will be a breakdown of the
[50:06] distribution system of electricity. In
[50:13] this, you're going to have part of the
[50:14] grid, part of the PJM grid, 500 KB line
[50:15] coming down to theNext up station. That
[50:18] will be new infrastructure. Extra
[50:19] infrastructureThe next substation do
[50:22] infrastructure, that will go into new
[50:25] Electrical cooperative infrastructure.
[50:26] SoWe are not relying uponA rural
[50:32] electrical distribution system.
[50:33] Everything is going to be new. For that
[50:34] reason we think if there is, Get going
[50:37] to be. We don't do that, envision that,
[50:47] the Shenandoah Valley has given us a
[50:48] rundownAnd we have got a slight for
[50:51] that, but our electrical engineersGiven
[50:56] the newness of this infrastructure and
[50:57] the location of the gridThatBelieve
[51:02] that if we have a blackout of property
[51:03] is going to be regional in natureIf not
[51:05] just a substation. These are three
[51:12] Quotes, this is not our language, this
[51:13] all came from other professionals,
[51:15] Frederick water, Frederick water has
[51:19] told us that 120,000 gallons per day of
[51:21] demand can be accommodated. Again, the
[51:24] source of that water is up to Frederick
[51:27] County, they can tell you where that
[51:28] comes from.ThatIs probably 250
[51:34] single-family detached refreshing.We do
[51:42] have a proffer that will say that that
[51:43] water go to. Mr. Fox says it is a vault
[51:51] zoning violation if we were to pull
[51:52] more than 120 gallons a dayOn that here
[52:01] can we will make sure that is not
[52:02] happening, Frederick water will also
[52:03] make sure that's not happening, SBAC it
[52:04] has also said they can provide the
[52:05] loads required, they do have a separate
[52:06] consumerClass, they have told us that
[52:13] Provision of power through them as a
[52:14] retailProvider will not increase
[52:19] residential rates, as for that
[52:20] substation,The consumers electrical
[52:28] power in Frederick County will not be
[52:29] paying for that substation, this
[52:30] applicant will. Most likely there will
[52:31] be a long-term easement or lease given
[52:32] the SECIn this applicant will build
[52:34] kind of a build to suitFor the
[52:38] Shenandoah Valley electrical cooperated.
[52:43] They are aware of the risks and they
[52:44] will insulate their membersFor many
[52:47] risk associated with the cost of this
[52:48] project. LastlyPolyphonics is our
[52:53] consultant, basically the generators
[52:57] will be governed by rigid industry
[52:58] standards and we can get deeper into
[52:59] noise that we are going to make sure
[53:02] that we not onlyConstantly are below,
[53:11] We will have sound levels as low as 63
[53:12] in residential areas.
[53:15] I would like to briefly talk about staff
[53:17] concerns, we work session here on May
[53:20] 5 about a month ago and we revised our
[53:25] proffers based upon planning commission
[53:26] input and I want to go through that.
[53:33] These are on the left-hand side, you've
[53:34] got staff report concerns, on the right
[53:35] and signs are responses, basicallyWe
[53:37] have proffered to tier 4 compliant
[53:38] generators. Tier 4 compliant generators
[53:41] is the highest industry standardAnd I
[53:43] note that these are diesel generators
[53:46] andThe amountA generator makes sure that
[53:55] carbon related gas emissions and
[53:56] particulate are kept at a very low
[53:57] level. This is adjacent to Interstate 81
[54:03] , Interstate 81 has a lot of truck
[54:04] traffic and they primarily burn diesel.
[54:06] Diesel fumes in this area, The
[54:08] stonewall district, Will be primarily
[54:12] coming from West 81, not fromDiesel
[54:14] generators, Particularly with the type
[54:17] for compliance generators, We would be
[54:24] glad to address questions, But the tier
[54:29] 4 generators will make sure that the
[54:30] air is clean and that, again, they will
[54:31] only come onWhen there is a breakdown
[54:34] with the grid, other than for testing.
[54:38] We will talk about that later. We also
[54:50] have a proper design guideline, we do
[54:51] not have those yet, that's
[54:52] architectural document, we are going to
[54:53] prepare those, show them what the
[54:54] buildings look like, that will be
[54:55] enforced like your governance side,
[54:56] that we are property owners Association
[54:57] here that will maintainConformance with
[54:59] the design guidelines. We are going to
[55:00] file that with the county, We want to
[55:04] make sure they will see it but we are
[55:05] not going to ask the zoning
[55:06] administrator to serveAs judging the
[55:08] integrity of the architectureBut that
[55:10] will be enforced privately by the
[55:13] partner Association.As Mr. Pearson
[55:17] mentioned, there was one useCould
[55:26] generate traffic, we have taken that
[55:27] out, unless the Board of Supervisors
[55:28] were adding more uses, the only use
[55:30] allowed here would be the data center
[55:31] which would be a low trip generating
[55:33] use. We are installingBerms at
[55:36] locations, hopefully they could be
[55:39] built concurrent with the bermsThat
[55:43] (INAUDIBLE) will be building on those
[55:44] substations.We have those as ways of
[55:47] providing screening. I talked about the
[55:53] design guidelines.
[56:02] In terms of the noise, again, will be
[56:03] yielding the floor with your leave, Mr.
[56:04] Rob Miller can talk about noise and
[56:05] address questionsThe commission may
[56:06] have but we will be holding a maximum
[56:07] soundOf 60 DBAAt the property lines
[56:11] adjacent to residential uses. Obviously
[56:14] there's more noiseClose to Interstate
[56:20] 81, and additionally based upon our
[56:21] recent self-study, the anticipated
[56:23] sound level property will be lower than
[56:26] the 60, we refrain fromVAWe will adjust
[56:30] our age(INAUDIBLE), Fred Waters told us
[56:37] that 120,000 gallons a day will not be
[56:40] a problem to provide. And I will
[56:42] briefly go through some of the
[56:46] Revisions, some of these we have done
[56:47] after a work session, where theWe work
[56:53] with us throughWet wipe your current
[56:58] talk about some of them, propertyAnd
[57:05] then also we put in a restrictionOn
[57:12] when and how those generators can be
[57:13] tested. They do it to be tested, that's
[57:18] part of their maintenance program, but
[57:19] we made sure that will not have these
[57:20] generators all firing up at once. There
[57:27] will be a great conservator will you
[57:28] know when tested.. On our nickel, as
[57:38] Mr. Pearson mentioned, we will be doing
[57:39] an openRate of McBeth Lane to the real
[57:44] world standards peer, also mentioned
[57:45] that we have withdrawnOur oil revocation
[57:51] Pair going on toAbout outage issues,
[57:56] again to and
[58:02] >>There primarily due to the grid in a
[58:03] noteThis PC is even said on the existing
[58:06] infrastructure and, Eight hours
[58:14] throughout his time, we think that's a
[58:17] high number because as mentioned if
[58:18] there was an outageIt is an outage due
[58:21] to the grid, not toA big storm blowing
[58:29] down distribution lines. Additionally
[58:30] we areHolding theWritten decibel level
[58:39] down to residential zones. We did some
[58:40] study, Mr. Chairman on containment, we
[58:41] are going of a 10 foot stucco wall
[58:42] around all generators, we are designing
[58:43] that toReduce low impact noiseAnd we
[58:49] can get into the exact engineering why
[58:50] there is a betterIt's better from a
[58:57] standpoint ofLow-frequency noise and
[59:05] Rob Miller can talk about that better
[59:06] than I can. Generator testing, we have
[59:07] talked about it briefly, this is a side
[59:08] that basically showsThere's 298
[59:09] generators, They will need to be tested
[59:14] 15 minutes per generator per weekAnd
[59:18] basically if you haveBeing tested, if
[59:31] you have generators being tested at one
[59:32] time you have a seven cycle testing
[59:33] regime, each one for 15 minutes.We
[59:34] don't believe the required testing can
[59:38] be generated is going to produce an
[59:39] impact in their only 15 minutesPer
[59:40] generator per week.We did mention that
[59:46] the citizens of the methylene did sign
[59:47] the ones that are in.This is a view
[1:00:03] shed analysis, fear driving southbound
[1:00:04] on 81, we wanted to pick up when will
[1:00:05] this come in your view shed? Obviously
[1:00:06] if your northbound you're probably not
[1:00:07] going to see itUnless(INAUDIBLE), this
[1:00:11] is on the southbound trip this is the
[1:00:18] line of sight when our data center
[1:00:19] building will come into view. If you're
[1:00:20] driving south the biggest building you
[1:00:21] will see is the Amazon justiceCenter.
[1:00:24] As you go south the holdings will blend
[1:00:26] more into the Western area. Then you
[1:00:31] have the flying J that will be the most
[1:00:32] visible thing you can see.This is a
[1:00:37] photo simulation taken on public road
[1:00:38] right-of-wayBeth Lane and you might ask
[1:00:44] why did I put this up there, you can
[1:00:45] see between two trees(INAUDIBLE) in the
[1:01:08] cul-de-sac of Jolene Drive, that thing
[1:01:09] above the house that looks like a
[1:01:10] low-lying cloud, that's one of the data
[1:01:11] center buildings.That is on the horizon
[1:01:13] Above the house to the right there.
[1:01:25] With that, Mr. Shearman, what I would
[1:01:26] like to do by your leave is turn the
[1:01:27] podium over to Mr. Rob Miller
[1:01:28] polyphonic. We know that noise and
[1:01:29] sound is an issue here, with your leave,
[1:01:30] We had Rob Miller of poly science to
[1:01:31] come upAnd he can tell you aboutWhat
[1:01:37] the next few slides are. Rob Miller of
[1:01:38] poly science.
[1:01:42] >>Good evening, sir.
[1:01:43] >>Good evening. I had the good fortune
[1:01:44] talking about sound levels, It can be
[1:01:48] an out there subject but wanted to
[1:01:49] bring some grounding in truth to what
[1:01:50] we are
[1:01:51] >>How long are they allowed? Three
[1:01:59] minutes?
[1:02:00] >>There the applicant, they get as much
[1:02:01] time as they want.
[1:02:03] >>They get as much time as they want?
[1:02:08] >>Yes sir.
[1:02:09] >>I am glad to be as long or short, I
[1:02:10] know this is an important topic, and I
[1:02:12] want to address it to the satisfaction
[1:02:13] of everyone.
[1:02:14] >>(INAUDIBLE)
[1:02:15] >>Of course.I will lean this way so
[1:02:17] everyone could hear and I can hopefully
[1:02:18] see.The ambient noise level study we
[1:02:21] did in JanuaryWhich was a good month,
[1:02:25] no snow, Hard ground conditions, No
[1:02:32] leaves on trees, able to get good sound
[1:02:33] level measurements aroundThe site. You
[1:02:36] will see 10 measurements across,Here
[1:02:40] it's rotated, The North is on the
[1:02:44] rights of the flying J question, you
[1:02:46] can see isHere along towards them to
[1:02:53] and M3. We are IAD one is further south
[1:02:56] , this is the frontage road behind the
[1:02:57] flying J. Where you can see the LE Q
[1:03:00] level is at 66, 57 and M2 and 63At M1
[1:03:11] closer to the Dealer. Elsewhere,.
[1:03:27] Notably, a comment that was earlier,
[1:03:30] Actually, we will just get there,Before
[1:03:34] I get there, a fewTouchstones to think
[1:03:38] about here.The. We are looking to
[1:03:53] achieve nowhere near that. 60 DBA is the
[1:03:56] Frederick County residential noise level
[1:03:59] that the site is not subject to but
[1:04:00] might be usefulFor those with residents
[1:04:03] this in Frederick County.When the EPA
[1:04:11] developed this model noise ordinance
[1:04:12] and said this is a good starting point
[1:04:13] for communities to adopt for noise
[1:04:14] levels, They chose 55. It protects the
[1:04:19] requisite use of people's homes,
[1:04:20] enjoymentOf the surroundingsBarbecues
[1:04:24] in such, the normal day-to-day use of
[1:04:27] the data centerSchilling only.
[1:04:44] Depending where you are, 50 to 55 as we
[1:04:45] heard a little bit ago. AlreadyWe are
[1:04:47] approaching5 to 10 DVLighter than the
[1:04:52] Frederick County noise ordinanceAnd to
[1:04:56] use the decibel math we've been talking
[1:04:57] about, that's about half as loud,
[1:05:03] Towards half of as loud. It was 50 it
[1:05:04] would be half as loud. For 50 50, 55,
[1:05:06] somewhere in between.Hopefully that
[1:05:08] makes sense.Peer we are under the
[1:05:19] ResidentialFrederick County
[1:05:29] (INAUDIBLE). This was our simulation of
[1:05:30] vitae one noise in conjunction with the
[1:05:33] site. There may be a better slide that
[1:05:34] I addedHere later on, we will see if it
[1:05:37] is here to show, But unfortunately
[1:05:40] those numbers are small, I could come up
[1:05:43] and read those to you, But they are in
[1:05:47] the low 50s. Can I yell and I will just
[1:05:48] read out?
[1:05:52] >>Hey, Rob
[1:05:54] >>We are lives stream, you have to stay
[1:05:58] in front of the mic so people watching
[1:05:59] can hear.
[1:06:00] >>(INAUDIBLE)
[1:06:04] >>Okay. So I will use my mouse, And
[1:06:06] this is coming upRuebuck Lane, 5253,
[1:06:11] 5354, 5251, 51, 52. In a long flying J
[1:06:22] 60, And I believe when it says instead
[1:06:31] of being equal to the data center is
[1:06:32] equal to the flying J it's actually 10
[1:06:33] dB louder, Quieter than the flying J,
[1:06:38] So there's no addition happening, Is
[1:06:40] purely IED one noise that your hearing
[1:06:44] at that location..
[1:06:56] Looking at the data center itself,
[1:06:57] similar numbers, 52, 52, 53, 51, 51,
[1:07:02] 50, 50, 52 down here.. When we have
[1:07:12] Generator testing happening, You saw a
[1:07:17] little spreadsheet earlier, what that
[1:07:19] ends up being isHalf of one buildingFor
[1:07:26] three buildings, so half of one building
[1:07:29] Is being testedThree times across the
[1:07:34] site, and they can be spread out so that
[1:07:36] they are not ganging up and one
[1:07:38] neighborhood, one group of neighborsIs
[1:07:41] hearing 3/2 data center no ways, it
[1:07:44] spread around soThe distance works out
[1:07:49] and you're not hearing and your only
[1:07:50] hearing the closest testing happening
[1:07:51] next to you. In this case, we choseThis
[1:07:57] property line along RuebuckAnd these
[1:08:02] generators are being tested here, this
[1:08:03] third building south, And what you will
[1:08:05] see is that this levelExpanding from
[1:08:08] the buildingIs between 55 and 60 as it
[1:08:14] crosses over this residential property
[1:08:15] line.So for the testing scenario of 1/2
[1:08:19] building being tested near you, We
[1:08:21] still remain under theResidential noise
[1:08:25] ordinanceAnd in the proper in general
[1:08:30] is to maintain 60, But that is, again,
[1:08:34] assuming that we are in emergency mode.
[1:08:38] This is testing mode.And I will leave
[1:08:45] it there.
[1:08:56] >>The last few slides are examples of
[1:08:57] renderings, the design guidelines
[1:08:58] basically calling forUse of components,
[1:09:03] These are not proper architectural but
[1:09:04] this is what they would look likeBy use
[1:09:06] of the design elementsIn the proper
[1:09:08] spiritWith fenestration, WindowsAndNote
[1:09:17] thatAccounting I came from I've seen
[1:09:20] differentIterations of data centers,
[1:09:25] first generation look likeWarehouses
[1:09:30] with no windows, no fenestration. The
[1:09:31] second generation looked a little better
[1:09:33] , The new ones being built now haveMore
[1:09:35] of a curb appeal, Use of glass, good
[1:09:38] lightingIn different colors.
[1:09:49] With that, that's a rundown of our
[1:09:50] aerial, that, Mr. Chairman, I would be
[1:09:51] glad to answer any questionsOr have any
[1:09:54] members of the government team ask any
[1:09:55] questions that the Commissioner may
[1:09:56] have.With that, yelled back.
[1:09:57] >>Thank you. Any questions to my right?
[1:10:01] Mr. Crane?
[1:10:04] >>I've got two questions for you, one is
[1:10:06] if there are separate companies, Let's
[1:10:11] say there's 10 separate companies, one
[1:10:12] at eachData center, How are they going
[1:10:17] to coordinate the testing of their
[1:10:18] generators? If there's 288His company
[1:10:31] ABC going to coordinate with XYZ? Hey,
[1:10:32] I'll fire mine up this day, you fire
[1:10:33] your ears, how is that going to work?
[1:10:38] >>If these are landowners that are
[1:10:39] lessees, let's say, part of their lease
[1:10:41] would be conformance with these
[1:10:42] products.So they're going up to work it
[1:10:43] out, They can't fire it all at once and
[1:10:48] then will be a violation of their lease
[1:10:49] if they do.We will also have an
[1:10:53] operations manual that will dictateWhen
[1:10:58] pursuant to each lease you can test
[1:10:59] your generators.And the mechanisms that
[1:11:02] we will have is the owner, If anyone
[1:11:07] reaches those lease terms, just like
[1:11:08] any commercial tenant who violates the
[1:11:10] terms of his lease.
[1:11:11] >>My second question, I am a pretty
[1:11:19] simple guy, pretty simple question. Do
[1:11:20] you live in Clearbrook?
[1:11:21] >>I'm sorry?
[1:11:22] >>Do you live in Clearbrook?
[1:11:23] >>I do not, sir, I don't live there yet.
[1:11:32] >>If you did, if you built a home there
[1:11:33] 25 years ago and you enjoy the ambience
[1:11:34] of that neighborhood, Would you like a
[1:11:37] data center built in your backyard?
[1:11:43] >>That's a fair question, I bought a
[1:11:44] houseAnd I look at the conference of
[1:11:46] planAnd I looked atWhat that
[1:11:54] comprehensive plan will allow in terms
[1:11:55] of zoning. Also look to seeWe are the
[1:11:58] infrastructure, so to answer your
[1:11:59] question, I would not have a problem,
[1:12:05] My opinion, I know that you might not,
[1:12:08] but I thinkThose decisions of land-use
[1:12:17] primarily are making the hopper into
[1:12:18] plan. It doesn't say residential and
[1:12:19] its property.As a matter of fact, the
[1:12:23] planning commission, put in an
[1:12:24] application for the same property and
[1:12:31] recommend approval of this property be
[1:12:32] rezoned within one zoning district that
[1:12:33] would allow for warehouses and
[1:12:34] logistics, operations, much more truck
[1:12:35] traffic. That was an application before
[1:12:36] this planning commission about two
[1:12:37] years agoAnd they recommended approval
[1:12:38] of it.
[1:12:41] >>Thank you, sir.
[1:12:42] >>Any other questions?To my left?
[1:12:48] >>I have a question,Doing some reading
[1:12:51] and research on noise, For the noise
[1:12:55] gentlemen, can you tell me about last
[1:12:56] loaded vinyl and whether it was going
[1:12:58] to be, whether it would have any
[1:13:02] options to reduce low-level noise in
[1:13:03] your buildings?
[1:13:07] >>Mass loaded vinyl is, For 1/8 inch
[1:13:12] pieceOf vinyl, it weighs about 1 pound
[1:13:19] per square foot, it can come to pounds
[1:13:20] per square foot, I don't wishThe handy
[1:13:23] man to deal with2 pounds per square
[1:13:28] foot, it's very difficult. It is
[1:13:29] frequently used to wrap ducksWhen they
[1:13:37] are coming into the building because
[1:13:38] there's noise coming off the rooftop
[1:13:39] unit, something like that, it has about
[1:13:40] the benefit ofDepending how it's used 6
[1:13:44] to 10 dB of improvement, So it is
[1:13:48] frequently usedAs a compressor wrapFor
[1:13:52] chillers and you saw in the proper that
[1:13:54] there areMitigation techniques that
[1:13:59] must be included in chillers, And so I
[1:14:02] suspect that would be one of the
[1:14:04] components that the manufacturers
[1:14:05] alreadyDoingFor that type of equipment.
[1:14:09] Is there a specific? No, okay.
[1:14:14] >>Hang on. I have a question. Related
[1:14:17] to sound. We're talking about decibels,
[1:14:19] But we don't believeIt addresses a
[1:14:23] whole lot of frequency and from what I
[1:14:24] understand a low level frequency that
[1:14:27] causes a lot of these health issuesAnd
[1:14:29] potential of the things that we are
[1:14:32] just not really talking about. And I
[1:14:37] know part of your study I think you did
[1:14:38] address frequency, but it was higher,
[1:14:39] wasMaybe 65 Hz?
[1:14:40] >>We looked at 63, which isThe date of
[1:14:48] the manufacturer provided. Let me
[1:14:49] discuss that a little bit. We usedThe
[1:14:52] ANC standard, ANC is a majorUS governing
[1:14:55] body that brings professionals together
[1:15:00] To decide on what should be standards,
[1:15:07] And it was done in conjunction with our
[1:15:08] professional acoustical Society of
[1:15:09] America.In terms of the noise there is a
[1:15:16] In appendix, and annex to that standard
[1:15:17] that addresses specifically.And it
[1:15:22] gives just like I sort of listed,
[1:15:23] frequency, decibel levelsThat are
[1:15:25] ordinances, there are decibel levels
[1:15:30] That contribute toA level that people
[1:15:37] don't like, all right, I'm going toUse
[1:15:41] in their home. What we did, we took the
[1:15:45] generators and we took the chillersAnd
[1:15:49] The testing scenario for the generator.
[1:15:53] We modeled it similar to what you saw
[1:15:54] on the screenAnd for the nearest
[1:15:56] residences, 70 dBIs unweighted, soYou
[1:16:03] get thisGoing on, the preferred decibel
[1:16:09] level at that 63 Hz, how much of that
[1:16:10] comes across property line?We foundWe
[1:16:16] stayed below 70 dBForThe type II level
[1:16:20] IINoise enclosure for the generator,
[1:16:25] Which what that means is thatThe
[1:16:28] standard body found was meant for homes
[1:16:30] ofStandard typical wood frame
[1:16:34] construction with, No storm windows, no
[1:16:43] race and read, anything like that. This
[1:16:49] Decibel level and superior maintains a
[1:16:50] piece of quiet peace and quiet. It's
[1:16:54] the NT standard. We analyze it and so
[1:16:55] we are really happy.
[1:17:06] >>(INAUDIBLE)
[1:17:07] >>S 12, I have it on my phone. Thanks
[1:17:08] time someone calls me up I will give it
[1:17:09] to you.We stay the 70 dB stays outside
[1:17:13] the propertyAnd what's important to know
[1:17:20] Is that
[1:17:21] >>Rob, you need to address the planning
[1:17:25] commission, sir.
[1:17:26] >>Thank you.So the 70 dB unweighted 63
[1:17:30] Hz stays off the property lineWith the
[1:17:32] level IIGenerator enclosureIn the
[1:17:36] testing scenario.
[1:17:38] >>Thank you.
[1:17:40] >>Ag just going with the peer review
[1:17:44] and other charactersLower than 63 Hz,
[1:17:50] is that something we could get results
[1:17:51] onJust to make sure we may be above and
[1:17:54] beyond this standard at least we know
[1:17:59] we are protecting everybody above and
[1:18:00] beyondThe standard?
[1:18:04] >>In terms of the frequency that we are
[1:18:05] able toStudy and understand,
[1:18:11] manufacturers for both HVAC equipment,
[1:18:12] the chillers and the generators, Their
[1:18:14] lowest level, their lowest octave band
[1:18:18] frequency band slice that they report
[1:18:23] is 63 Hz optic man peer can so we are
[1:18:24] unable to investigate anything lower
[1:18:25] than that, But we investigated what the
[1:18:30] manufacturers provide. Typically,The
[1:18:33] low-frequencyHas gotten awfullyUpset
[1:18:44] has contributed to the windmills, Low
[1:18:46] blade counts,AndI am learning about
[1:18:51] natural gas and flaring is also
[1:18:53] low-frequency source. I've not seen any
[1:18:57] indication of diesel generatorsOr
[1:18:59] particularly chillers, They operate
[1:19:03] much higher than that.
[1:19:04] >>Thank you.
[1:19:07] >>Thank you. Any other questions?
[1:19:08] >>I had another question, I know in the
[1:19:09] lastMeeting we had we talked about the
[1:19:16] water usage at 120,000, I think those
[1:19:17] 120,000 gallons, I think we had a
[1:19:23] description of what the 20,000 was four
[1:19:24] and I think Mr. Stowe brought up the
[1:19:25] comment, what's the other hundred
[1:19:26] thousand and theIf anybody wants to
[1:19:36] talk about where that hundred thousand
[1:19:37] dollars going to be used.
[1:19:38] >>It will be used for cooling purposes.
[1:19:39] Let me yield to someone who can answer
[1:19:40] that question better.This is John not.
[1:19:51] >>Okay, so just so I'm clear on the
[1:19:52] question, you would ask about the 20,000
[1:19:54] and where does the other $100,000
[1:19:57] 100,000 come from? As we stated in the
[1:20:01] proffers, we proffered to a number of
[1:20:02] different cooling systemsWhich are use
[1:20:05] a low amount of water, air cooled,
[1:20:06] closed loop, Direct liquid chip and
[1:20:10] immersion. Those are low useWater
[1:20:16] technologies. We collect the amount of
[1:20:17] water that we under the those
[1:20:21] technology scenarios to be less than
[1:20:22] 100,000 gallons per day.We believe it
[1:20:23] is very importantAfter having spoken
[1:20:28] with a number of users who are data
[1:20:29] center operatorsTo maintain some
[1:20:32] flexibility, some flexibilityWith the
[1:20:34] amount of waterThat we are asking to use
[1:20:40] . We have kept it at 120,000, we have
[1:20:41] confirmedWith director Frederick water
[1:20:45] that that amount of water is currently
[1:20:46] available todayWith the water system
[1:20:48] and the sewer system. Are the
[1:21:02] technologies going to use three years
[1:21:03] from now to build these buildings? Are
[1:21:04] they going to use that hundred and
[1:21:05] $20,000? No. Is there another
[1:21:06] technology being developedThat none of
[1:21:11] us know about that might use a little
[1:21:12] more water and probably is a better
[1:21:13] system than the ones that currently
[1:21:14] exist? Could be. We're just asking for
[1:21:15] some flexibility.
[1:21:16] >>Okay.
[1:21:21] >>Actually, I had a little comment, I
[1:21:22] know when we talked aboutThis CUP
[1:21:23] processMr. Pearson expressed concern
[1:21:26] aboutBeing able to enforce the 120,000
[1:21:30] gallons limitSo, I reached out to our
[1:21:38] outside attorneys in Richmond and we
[1:21:40] are going to come up with a policy toOr
[1:21:43] a contract to addressAnd It at 120 with
[1:21:49] penalties or the ability to shut off to
[1:21:50] exceed that over a period of time.
[1:21:53] That's still in development(INAUDIBLE)
[1:22:05] going into the wastewater system with
[1:22:06] those 5% of its capacity. We did not
[1:22:07] have a policyRegarding a large water
[1:22:12] user that basically evaporated all the
[1:22:13] water off and it did make it to the
[1:22:14] sewer system.Because of the comments we
[1:22:18] have had, I reached out to Eric and our
[1:22:22] outside counseling we are going to come
[1:22:23] up with something so when something is
[1:22:26] in a proper statement I think this
[1:22:27] board can feel that Frederick Waterton
[1:22:28] basically enforce thatProperly.
[1:22:29] >>We will commit, weOur custom to
[1:22:34] entering developers agreements with
[1:22:40] different governing bodies.
[1:22:41] >>That's why say want to make sure you
[1:22:42] guys are comfortable with your number,
[1:22:43] I'm sure we will work at it, but of the
[1:22:53] >>You will have to apply the water with
[1:22:54] you andPay for the amount of gallons
[1:22:57] were used at the time. We know how many
[1:23:01] gallons it will be at that time.
[1:23:02] >>Thank you.
[1:23:03] >>I have a question. Of that 100,000
[1:23:06] gallons of water, 100,000 gallons go in
[1:23:11] , It's 100,000 come out?If it's 100%
[1:23:20] evaporated then nothing comes out. What
[1:23:21] comes out?
[1:23:22] >>We are not were using evaporative
[1:23:23] systems. You can pick a gallon, 1
[1:23:27] gallon a day, 10 gallons a day, hundred
[1:23:28] thousand gallons a day, we need to take
[1:23:29] that in which is available today,It's
[1:23:30] likely that most of that water would
[1:23:34] also come out into the sewer system
[1:23:35] which is also available today.
[1:23:39] >>In the water that comes out, What
[1:23:42] condition is that in?What contaminants
[1:23:52] are in there?
[1:23:53] >>It's clean water. We cannot send
[1:23:54] anything into the sewer systemThat
[1:23:55] Frederick water does not permit us to
[1:23:56] send into the sewer system.
[1:23:59] >>Okay, thank you.
[1:24:02] >>No questions?
[1:24:05] >>Minus not on water.The area that is
[1:24:08] in a flood zone, I think why it had
[1:24:13] brought out how would we handle the berm
[1:24:14] in that areaOf flood zone if you can't
[1:24:18] have a berm because of the flood zone?
[1:24:22] >>I don't, I'm not an engineer, but
[1:24:24] Putting inBerms and floodplain I think
[1:24:29] we need the permitting requirement,
[1:24:36] It's a minor or major floodplain,
[1:24:37] that's a good engineering question,
[1:24:38] generally you don't want to put in any
[1:24:39] obstructionsIn a floodplain, So it have
[1:24:42] to do that burden with her Whatever
[1:24:48] County engineering says, I think FEMA
[1:24:49] has a problemWith doing things that
[1:24:51] will interfereIn a berm would do that.
[1:24:55] Can we haveWith some drainage structure
[1:25:02] boots I'm not an engineer, I don't
[1:25:03] really know.I know you can't fill in
[1:25:07] the floodplain, that will get you in
[1:25:08] trouble.
[1:25:10] >>I have one question for you,I got
[1:25:13] this question today in an emailAnd I
[1:25:17] had no idea what the answer was. There
[1:25:18] is a suitThat's been filed against the
[1:25:20] folksAgainst the substation that will be
[1:25:32] Providing your power. If the plaintiffs
[1:25:33] prevail, what will that mean?
[1:25:34] >>I don't know about that lawsuit but I
[1:25:35] think it's challenging the approval of
[1:25:36] the substationThat the plan commission
[1:25:37] approved.I really can't speculate since
[1:25:41] I am not a party to that litigation, but
[1:25:46] The next of the, Would that present an
[1:25:52] issue with this data center? The answer
[1:25:53] is clearly yes.You probably knew the
[1:25:55] answer before you ask it.
[1:25:58] >>I am not a lawyer either, sir.
[1:26:01] >>Thank you for this opportunity,Let's
[1:26:06] go back and hear from the public.
[1:26:07] >>With that, open the public hearing,
[1:26:08] Again, this is public hearingAnd the
[1:26:12] moment we have been waiting for us to
[1:26:13] hear from you. And that's important for
[1:26:14] us. We do want to practice decorum, we
[1:26:17] do want to keep orderlyAnd we want to
[1:26:20] move things along rapidly, we have 47
[1:26:25] people that signed up to speak and
[1:26:26] that's fine, we would love to hear from
[1:26:27] all of you. We know a lot of the
[1:26:28] concerns based on the emails you sent us
[1:26:31] , we read those and many of them I get
[1:26:32] to respond to, which I'm fine doing,
[1:26:34] but with that we want to get into this
[1:26:38] is please limit clapping, hooping, that
[1:26:39] sort of thingAnd off we go, Mr.
[1:26:46] Pearson.
[1:26:47] >>Mr. Chairman, first speaker is Vicki
[1:26:48] Michael's followed by J Martz.
[1:26:49] >>J, if you can come up and get in
[1:26:51] line, please, sir?It evening, ma'am.
[1:26:58] REMICADE evening. Mr. Chairman, members
[1:26:59] of the board, my name is Vicki
[1:27:00] Michaels, and I live in the stoneWall
[1:27:01] district. The best argument for not
[1:27:02] rezoning rural land as our very own
[1:27:05] comprehensive plan. Chapter 2 rural
[1:27:08] areas. Frederick County's rural areas
[1:27:13] provide places for agriculture,
[1:27:15] forestry, protection, And preservation
[1:27:19] of natural resources and tourism.The
[1:27:23] rural areas best exhibit the nature,
[1:27:26] beauty, view sheds and tranquility for
[1:27:28] which Frederick County is known.
[1:27:30] Agriculture, forestry, conservation,
[1:27:36] Play an important role in the
[1:27:37] environment, heritage and economy of
[1:27:38] Frederick County. The rural areas of
[1:27:42] the county provide benefits to the
[1:27:43] communityIn many ways. Preserving and
[1:27:47] protecting the rural areas the
[1:27:48] Frederick CountyIs importantNot only to
[1:27:55] ensure the economic viability of
[1:27:56] agriculture and forest to operators but
[1:27:57] to guarantee these lands are present
[1:28:02] for use and enjoyment of future
[1:28:03] generations.Please honor our
[1:28:10] comprehensive plan and vote no. Don't
[1:28:11] give away 220 acres of rural land. We
[1:28:14] have all asked about data centers
[1:28:15] causing our electric bills to go up.
[1:28:18] There is talking about putting in
[1:28:19] battery storage for these. Because of
[1:28:25] the public utility regulation policy
[1:28:26] act of 1978, our electric companies
[1:28:28] will be requiredTo buy power from the
[1:28:34] battery storage sites whether they need
[1:28:35] it or not. So, yes, our bills will go
[1:28:37] up.
[1:28:43] I had intended to end it here, but today
[1:28:45] the Winchester Star survey came out.
[1:28:50] 2901 surveys forThe tester in Frederick
[1:28:53] County, 60% of those people indicated
[1:28:56] being informedAnd 90% of those
[1:29:00] respondents would not be in favor ofA
[1:29:02] data center. 96 were concerned about
[1:29:05] the impact on environment and utilities
[1:29:09] . 70%Of the health risk and noiseAnd,
[1:29:13] sadly, 60% of those respondents did not
[1:29:14] trust the representatives to honor what
[1:29:17] their constituents want.
[1:29:18] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:29:34] >>Folks, let her speak.
[1:29:35] >>Today is a promise for tomorrow. You
[1:29:36] need to do the hard things, you need to
[1:29:37] save our rural land and you need to
[1:29:38] vote no. Thank you.
[1:29:39] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:29:40] >>Thank you.
[1:29:43] >>J Martz followed by Jodi Zeiss.
[1:29:47] >>Hey, good evening, Chairman Stowe,
[1:29:48] members of the commissionI am Jay
[1:29:50] March, Frederick County taxpayer and
[1:29:54] resident of Gainsborough. I am here to
[1:29:55] speak in opposition to zero 426, the
[1:29:57] VirginiaTechnology Park. I am here to
[1:30:01] pose any further rezoning of our county
[1:30:07] farmland. I greatly oppose the action
[1:30:08] that you took on Madison to 77. You are
[1:30:11] destroying the character of the county
[1:30:12] with these votes on rezoning our farms.
[1:30:16] Joe, Vaughn, you are pretty good friends
[1:30:19] Dear John Lamanna, We go way way back.
[1:30:27] Charles, I've gotten to know you from
[1:30:28] the patriots. Tim, we have had back and
[1:30:33] forth, we speak cordially, I think it's
[1:30:34] great. Al, thanks for coming to the
[1:30:37] Memorial day celebration, your redbud
[1:30:41] town halls are great, Mike, I love it.
[1:30:42] Randy, it's good to see you tonight. I
[1:30:47] mention first names, I mentioned first
[1:30:48] names like this because Frederick
[1:30:49] County has a great small town feel. A
[1:30:50] place where first names are used often.
[1:30:58] A community, is the community. I'm not
[1:30:59] just a resident, I am a member of this
[1:31:00] community and I greatly enjoy that, and
[1:31:01] I really want to preserve that.I pushed
[1:31:07] hard, very hard for all my family to
[1:31:08] live here in the northern Shenandoah
[1:31:09] Valley, to stay away from Fairfax and I
[1:31:10] succeeded. TodayI had a yard full of
[1:31:13] grandkids, helping me trim bushes,
[1:31:17] wildflowers, cut the grass, great time.
[1:31:18] My neighborI just cut some, Cut his
[1:31:25] pastor Downey raked it up, I loaded
[1:31:26] them up in the pickup truck and I drove
[1:31:27] around and I saidHe's got it all raked
[1:31:28] up, he will come back and feed his
[1:31:30] cattle over the winter.Do you think I
[1:31:34] would load up my grandkids and go to
[1:31:35] the data center?
[1:31:36] [LAUGHING]
[1:31:41] Would that be something I would do in
[1:31:42] this community? I don't think so.I am
[1:31:45] not here to talk about megawatts of
[1:31:48] Power, gallons of water, noise, View
[1:31:53] shed pollution, no. I believe that your
[1:31:54] main purpose hereIs to promoteThe
[1:32:03] health, safety, and general welfare of
[1:32:05] the public. Okay? This action is in the
[1:32:09] wrong direction. So please vote no.
[1:32:10] Thank you.
[1:32:11] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:32:24] >>Jody Zeiss followed by Elizabeth
[1:32:25] Taylor.
[1:32:26] >>Thank you for serving, my name is
[1:32:27] Doctor Jodi's eyes gain borough
[1:32:28] district, there's literally no data
[1:32:32] anywhere that I've researched stating
[1:32:33] that a data center can use hundred
[1:32:34] 25,000 gallons or less a day.
[1:32:35] Everything says 1 to 5 million although
[1:32:37] he did mention it's not evaporative but
[1:32:38] what are you using? By the way somebody
[1:32:39] asked 70 dB, what does that sound like?
[1:32:44] It's like a hairdryer or vacuum running
[1:32:45] all day long.DB our loudnessAnd for some
[1:32:54] low-frequency pitches as dangerous as
[1:32:55] how loud it is. Additionally tier 4
[1:32:56] generator can mean more than one thing
[1:33:00] And they have not specified, it can
[1:33:01] mean resilient or how well it works or
[1:33:02] safety, it doesn't give off the
[1:33:03] nitrogen oxides that cause cancerOr
[1:33:06] respiratory diseases. I don't see a
[1:33:07] specification.The data center has curb
[1:33:10] appeal, you have 200 generators, have
[1:33:17] you been to Prince William County
[1:33:18] lately? I drive there every single day.
[1:33:19] According to the reportDated December
[1:33:21] 9, 2024 conducted by the audit review
[1:33:24] commission data centers of that sides
[1:33:27] only employ 50 to 100 full-time jobs,
[1:33:34] half of those are contract workers not
[1:33:35] necessarily employees of the any act.
[1:33:36] If these areas entities are building it
[1:33:47] they cannot simply sit there and tell
[1:33:48] us how many people will be hired.
[1:33:49] Contrary to the recent news, those
[1:33:50] against data centers are not extremist,
[1:33:51] we are not and I progress our tech. We
[1:33:52] are hereFor health and safety of our
[1:33:55] neighbors. I'm your friendly neighbor
[1:33:56] nerd and I researched for fun. We are
[1:33:57] here to ensure our right to a healthy
[1:33:58] lifeAnd happy lessTo a place we call
[1:33:59] her home. It brings temporary jobs for
[1:34:03] only two years. What do you do then?
[1:34:07] Will even more? According to that
[1:34:08] report that went to Governor Young can,
[1:34:09] the recommendationsSay that electric
[1:34:12] utilities have the authority to delay
[1:34:19] but not deny service to customers when
[1:34:20] the additional customer load can't be
[1:34:21] supported. That's different from what
[1:34:22] we were told.It also recommends that
[1:34:33] our local government establish and
[1:34:34] enforce maximum allowable sitdown
[1:34:35] levels for operational data facilities
[1:34:36] and use alternative low-frequency
[1:34:39] metrics and zoning ordinance, that has
[1:34:40] not yet been done. It also states that
[1:34:43] many mistakes have been done fromOther
[1:34:46] localities in Virginia where they have
[1:34:49] allowed technical centers and not
[1:35:05] consider them industrial to be next or
[1:35:06] look residents in agricultural and it
[1:35:07] states in their report that that should
[1:35:08] not be approved. That industrial
[1:35:09] centers and technical center should not
[1:35:10] be next to residents in agricultural
[1:35:11] areas. If you vote yes you are
[1:35:14] acknowledging your full understanding
[1:35:15] of aquifers, the training, clearly they
[1:35:16] don't understand in our region how
[1:35:17] forever chemicals never ever go away
[1:35:18] and there will be some and the
[1:35:19] understanding ofLow decibel sound and
[1:35:20] your understandingOf great waters
[1:35:23] environmental effects on our entire
[1:35:24] ecosystem. Thank you.
[1:35:27] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:35:35] >>Elizabeth Taylor followed by Heather
[1:35:36] Reese.
[1:35:39] >>Hey, y'all, I am Elizabeth Taylor, I
[1:35:40] live in back Creek and I just want to
[1:35:42] kind of talk about the larger
[1:35:46] initiative here nationwide, I think we
[1:35:47] all need to put our heads down and wake
[1:35:49] up a little bit that we are on and on
[1:35:50] split of unvented industry that is like
[1:35:54] a parasite that's grown across our
[1:35:55] nation. It's a cancer, and it's
[1:36:00] affecting our supply chains, it's
[1:36:01] affecting and stressing our resources
[1:36:04] And even on May 18 we already initiated
[1:36:05] federal guidance to activate generators
[1:36:10] that across Virginia because the
[1:36:11] electrical grid was stressed. I don't
[1:36:12] know if you rememberArch allies but
[1:36:13] they are very hotIn the air pollution
[1:36:16] is going to be put into our airways are
[1:36:23] just going to be intolerable, let alone
[1:36:24] the supply chain itself, there's
[1:36:25] diesels shortages across the nation and
[1:36:26] we as the people are affected by that
[1:36:32] And where all the supplies coming from?
[1:36:33] If we are building thousands of data
[1:36:34] centers across our nationThat are
[1:36:38] affecting us, the people, who is
[1:36:39] building the supplies? I have a 1970s
[1:36:40] building, one drop of water, one pipe
[1:36:44] and I got $50,000 worth of damageThat
[1:36:46] I've got to deal with.What's going to
[1:37:05] happen with these suppliers in a
[1:37:06] stressed economy, what are we looking
[1:37:07] at? These industries are not vetted,
[1:37:08] you cannot have, you don't have impact
[1:37:09] analysis, you don't have metrics, you
[1:37:10] can't rezone to something we've never
[1:37:11] seen in human history. Three years, it
[1:37:12] took me nine months to grow one of my
[1:37:13] three childrenOkay? So just saying,We
[1:37:14] have got to get perspective here in the
[1:37:15] larger national emergency because the
[1:37:16] storm is bigger than data centers. I
[1:37:20] love my community and I love the people
[1:37:21] in my community and I want to
[1:37:22] participate in our health and wellness
[1:37:24] because guess what, when this comes and
[1:37:25] takes all of our resourcesWhere are you
[1:37:27] going to go to sanitize your water? Is
[1:37:28] going to be with us, We know how to do
[1:37:30] that. You're missing the point of the
[1:37:41] Treasures that we have, we are stewards
[1:37:42] of this land in the valley with the
[1:37:43] mountains, we care about our people, we
[1:37:44] care about our butterflies in our
[1:37:45] waterways and our systems, Our true
[1:37:46] treasures are those resourcesAnd as we
[1:37:47] pledge our allegiance under God to this
[1:37:48] country, That is the land we stand on,
[1:37:55] the air we breathe, the water we use in
[1:37:56] our connection to it into each other.
[1:38:01] So I just want us to kind of get out of
[1:38:02] where our own we as humans and see a
[1:38:03] larger picture here.And long story
[1:38:09] short, as we build is a community going
[1:38:10] forward into a sustainable future, Can
[1:38:13] we take our time in building the
[1:38:14] industries that provide us jobs
[1:38:17] Work with our wild spaces and in our
[1:38:18] communities? There's no rush year.
[1:38:20] Let's have some wisdom and step back
[1:38:24] and watch the larger picture unfolds we
[1:38:25] can protect our county and build
[1:38:27] towards industry gains that really
[1:38:28] contribute to community holistically.
[1:38:31] We can do this together, I believe we
[1:38:32] can and I really appreciate you.
[1:38:35] >>Thank you.
[1:38:36] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:38:39] >>Heather Reese followed by Carrie
[1:38:43] Hibbert.
[1:38:44] >>I am Heather ReeseAnd I am here more
[1:38:45] to speak aboutThe total noise that has
[1:38:48] been alluded toBut I think we are being
[1:38:54] Fed some false information. DBA, I guess
[1:38:57] that is the only metric that we have,
[1:38:59] We are way below the standardWe do not
[1:39:02] have DBC measurements in our propers
[1:39:06] required of these centers.Every
[1:39:09] residence that is backing on thisNeeds
[1:39:11] to have their own meter.This meter
[1:39:14] needs to run 24/7, not an eight hour
[1:39:16] averageWhich is what happens in
[1:39:18] industrialHi Jean when you are doing
[1:39:24] Basic industrial hygiene data gathering
[1:39:27] , you're looking at an eight hour day
[1:39:28] average because they are only looking
[1:39:30] at occupational exposure for their
[1:39:32] workers. We are talking about women,
[1:39:35] Infants, other children running around
[1:39:37] Exposed 24/7/365 days a year. This is
[1:39:43] serious, serious health impact that
[1:39:45] this county is completely ignoring. Why
[1:39:47] did see it even matter? These are the
[1:39:51] decibels you don't hear. These are the
[1:39:52] decibels that get into your body.I am a
[1:39:57] physician, my occupation and, I am not
[1:39:58] an industrial hygienist but I can't
[1:40:05] Nearly is eloquently as Alexis can, but
[1:40:06] our own internal systems run about 5 to
[1:40:07] 8HertzOur low frequencies. When you
[1:40:13] have all of these 5 to 8 Hz coming from
[1:40:14] external sources it is elevating
[1:40:19] cortisol, is raising your blood
[1:40:20] pressure, raising your health, you
[1:40:21] might be asleep there all of this and
[1:40:22] yet you're going to have a heart attack
[1:40:23] 10 years earlier because of thisChronic
[1:40:25] stress. It's affecting the development
[1:40:28] Of the prefrontal cortex, fetal brains,
[1:40:31] of our children that are growing up
[1:40:32] around theseHere 24/7, 365Damage to our
[1:40:38] children and we have to listen to
[1:40:39] what's happeningIn livestock.
[1:40:42] Livestock, all of them are losingWait.
[1:40:49] Hands are laying 50% fewer eggs, cows
[1:40:50] are not producing as much milk. I grew
[1:40:51] up in Appalachian next to a Goldmine,
[1:40:53] grandpa used to send in the Canaries
[1:40:58] with the coal miners. When the canary
[1:40:59] died you came out. We have to start
[1:41:00] listening to the canaries before our
[1:41:01] own children are injured. And I love
[1:41:04] when they talk aboutYour basicWooden
[1:41:09] house is fine, no.If you really want to
[1:41:17] Halt the sounds that are coming through
[1:41:18] you needed 2 to 4 inch air gap in your
[1:41:19] Windows.Your exterior doors are going
[1:41:21] to be, have to be solid.When you have
[1:41:24] these low-frequency noises coming
[1:41:28] through into your home they are
[1:41:29] amplified, when it's cold out, Their
[1:41:31] amplified, those waves are being pushed
[1:41:41] down into your home, the corners of
[1:41:42] your homes are dangerous, you're going
[1:41:43] to move your furniture to the center of
[1:41:44] the room. These are things that are not
[1:41:45] simple, nobody wants to do that in
[1:41:46] their homes and these are the risks.
[1:41:47] There is an industry standard in please
[1:41:48] write this down.This needs to be our
[1:41:49] industry standard. If the DBC is 15
[1:41:52] above DB a then they need to be
[1:41:56] sanctioned.Thank you.
[1:41:57] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:42:05] >>Carrie Hibbard followed by Scott
[1:42:10] Lech.
[1:42:11] >>Hello, my name is Carrie Hibbard and
[1:42:12] I live in the Gainsborough district.At
[1:42:17] the May work session, one of the
[1:42:18] concerns I had was when they asked me
[1:42:19] about easements,They just stated they
[1:42:20] would negotiateButAppreciate what's
[1:42:26] happening next. Residents expected to
[1:42:30] worry about the possibility of
[1:42:31] governmentInvolvement or imminent
[1:42:34] domain? These were not answered. I
[1:42:35] won't talkAbout the noise because I
[1:42:38] know everybody's going to but 60 dB
[1:42:43] Doesn't sound like much but if it's 24
[1:42:44] hours a day nonstop, The lowest sound
[1:42:47] And get really annoying. And if this is
[1:42:49] your backyard, that is a problem. And
[1:42:53] if there is a zoning violationWe have
[1:42:57] the courts to use, but in the meantime
[1:42:59] these people are living with crapThat
[1:43:01] are surrounding the property. My
[1:43:04] mother's property is right next to that
[1:43:06] ResponderThat has the lowest, so you're
[1:43:13] talking about going from 32, 42, to 60.
[1:43:16] That's a big change.Commissioner Kozel,
[1:43:19] you asked aboutA building timeline
[1:43:22] being based on five or seven days a week
[1:43:26] . They said most of our projects are
[1:43:27] five days a week. The proper says
[1:43:30] Monday through Saturday from 7 AM to 6
[1:43:31] PM.So during however many years these
[1:43:33] are being builtNobody can use their
[1:43:36] backyard on a Saturday and relax.
[1:43:41] In the 2025 work session,Proposals were
[1:43:47] considered. Commissioner Whitaker
[1:43:48] stated I don't see any way how this
[1:43:55] benefits the citizens of this county,
[1:43:56] it seems like we have these profiteers
[1:43:57] coming into our county and treating us
[1:43:58] like a cash cow. I could not agree more
[1:43:59] . Chairman Stowe, your words war we
[1:44:00] don'tNeed them adjacent to schools, we
[1:44:03] don't need them adjacent to housing
[1:44:04] areas, We don't need them in areas that
[1:44:07] are peacefulAnd train fullIn rural
[1:44:14] Tranquil and rural. That is still true
[1:44:15] today.You guys talked about the nose
[1:44:20] the camel getting under the tent, my
[1:44:21] concern is you do this one, the
[1:44:22] precedent is setAnd we will have a lot
[1:44:25] of trouble saying no in the future.
[1:44:30] This project and others coming are
[1:44:31] already affecting our community, Many
[1:44:33] people are living with high levels of
[1:44:34] stressAs we research and oppose and
[1:44:39] continue meetings and watch it is very
[1:44:40] stressful to the people who liveIn this
[1:44:44] county. I know several residents who
[1:44:45] are preparing to put their homes on the
[1:44:46] marketIf data centers begin locating
[1:44:49] here. These are not people who planned
[1:44:51] to move, they do not want to live with
[1:44:52] the impacts. Others are publicly asking
[1:45:00] whether they should consider moving
[1:45:01] here, our data centers coming, I don't
[1:45:02] want to move there. That should be a
[1:45:03] concern. So the developer purchased
[1:45:06] land that was owned RA, they brought
[1:45:07] property which does notPermit data
[1:45:10] centers and are asking data centers to
[1:45:13] bear the burden. Residents toBear the
[1:45:17] burden.No one wants a property into a
[1:45:20] data center. Would you?Thank you.
[1:45:21] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:45:22] >>Scott Lynch followed by Bill Moore.
[1:45:23] >>Hi, everyone.This is in my
[1:45:28] neighborhood. I am Scott Lynch, live on
[1:45:33] rest Church Road, I have a small farm,
[1:45:34] struggling to makeIn speed as it is, I
[1:45:36] don't want to have the noiseIn the
[1:45:38] light pollutionIn the air pollution and
[1:45:46] water is our biggest problem, this
[1:45:47] county, this whole country, everywhere
[1:45:48] in the world, water is a problem in the
[1:45:49] county is taking my waterway on my
[1:45:50] propertyAnd I can't seem to do anything
[1:45:52] about it. They started drawing water
[1:45:56] into the quarry to sell to the countyIn
[1:45:59] my Creek dried up on my farm.And I
[1:46:03] haven't got a good answer from anybody
[1:46:04] about that yet.So let's just hope we
[1:46:06] don'tGet a data center, will just make
[1:46:10] me want to move even more. Good night.
[1:46:12] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:46:13] >>Thank you.
[1:46:18] >>Bill Moore followed by Ted Bauserman.
[1:46:23] >>Good evening.My name is Bill Moore
[1:46:26] and I comeVery probably from Lake
[1:46:29] FrederickIn the (INAUDIBLE) district.
[1:46:34] My high school calculus teacher
[1:46:35] recently passed, So this is for you,
[1:46:40] Mr. Z. There will beSome math.While I
[1:46:44] have learned a lot tonightAboutData
[1:46:47] centersInvisible and soundless as they
[1:46:52] might be, I have heard claimsThatA
[1:46:58] moratorium presenting data centersFrom
[1:47:00] being built in our county is a legal.
[1:47:04] There is another way to discourage
[1:47:05] these unwantedMonstrositiesFrom being
[1:47:10] built here.Money is a powerful lever,
[1:47:16] it can be used for bad things, but it
[1:47:17] can also be used for good things that
[1:47:19] are citizen support.Frederick County's
[1:47:22] tax rate or data center equipmentIs a
[1:47:27] measly dollar 25 for hundred dollars
[1:47:29] assessed. Compare that to Lowden's rate
[1:47:33] of $4.15. I will do the math for you.
[1:47:38] Our rate is 30%Of Loudoun County's rate.
[1:47:42] Now maybeI am picky, Picking data
[1:47:51] here, may maybe I'm cherry picking a
[1:47:52] bit or maybe I'm not. Fairfax County's
[1:47:53] rate is $4.57Per $100, Prince Williams
[1:47:59] is $4.50. Ours is 27 and, 28%Of those
[1:48:04] rates.So good golly.Yes, I would want
[1:48:11] to build in Frederick County as well.
[1:48:20] How about more locally? Warren County,
[1:48:21] Clark County, Falk year County, their
[1:48:22] rates are between $4.15 and $4.50.Ours
[1:48:25] is a dollar 25.It's outrageous.AsAwful
[1:48:38] as that is, it's not the full story.
[1:48:39] Our Board of Supervisors has second
[1:48:40] place in accelerated depreciation rate
[1:48:41] Of 50%In the first year. That's
[1:48:46] effectively cutting our awful rate in
[1:48:47] half.By year four, the rate is cut by
[1:48:50] 90%, So the effective rate is then a
[1:48:55] minuscule12.5 centsPer $100 assessed.
[1:49:02] Happily, there is a solution and it
[1:49:06] doesn't require a moratorium. The Board
[1:49:07] of Supervisors should simply move
[1:49:09] Decimal over one placeAnd make the
[1:49:11] dollar 25$12.50Or given the ridiculous
[1:49:17] depreciation rate may be $20. Hundred
[1:49:21] dollars assessed.As Mr. Z would often
[1:49:24] say,QED, not to bore you with the Latin
[1:49:29] , quite easily done.
[1:49:32] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:49:40] >>Ted Bauserman followed by Vic
[1:49:41] Canfield.
[1:49:43] >>I am a resident along with my husband.
[1:49:49] >>You can pull it down.
[1:49:53] >>I am a resident of Winchester with my
[1:49:54] husband. This generationsCustodians of
[1:50:00] a family farm along the Peckham Creek
[1:50:01] which lies aboutThree or 4 miles due
[1:50:03] eastOf flying J.And 81. So we're
[1:50:11] definitely I think in the impact zone.
[1:50:15] I was sure people are going to be
[1:50:16] talking tonight aboutThe impacts on
[1:50:20] financial resources and impacts on the
[1:50:21] quality of life, so I thought maybe I
[1:50:22] would just for my part open up the
[1:50:25] screen a little bit and talk aboutBuild
[1:50:30] on this idea of slowing this process
[1:50:31] down and looking at how nationally our
[1:50:34] countryIs just being hit by this John
[1:50:37] Norman search, It's likeA goldrush to
[1:50:46] build data centers. What is this all
[1:50:47] about? Is this to benefit American
[1:50:48] people?All of us? Or is it the benefit
[1:50:49] of few?And I have my thoughts about
[1:50:52] that.In Ohio, 25,000 signatures have
[1:50:59] been signed as of MayTo put a slowdown
[1:51:06] on the proposal. They have got a
[1:51:09] proposal for a constitutional amendment
[1:51:13] that would block large-scale data
[1:51:14] centersIn Utah, there's a massive
[1:51:16] pushback effort againstA huge center
[1:51:21] that they're putting inBy a very
[1:51:24] fragile area. In Maine, we have the
[1:51:26] firstState to pass legislative, I can't
[1:51:32] read my own writing, they're trying to
[1:51:33] blockAgain large data centers there,
[1:51:37] and they're trying to argue for more
[1:51:38] timeTill November 27 to give time to
[1:51:41] develop protectiveRegulations. At the
[1:51:46] federal level, Senator Sanders and
[1:51:47] representativeCasey a Cortez have
[1:51:51] introduced the AI data center
[1:51:52] moratorium act, So I thought those were
[1:51:58] all kind of useful to use kind of a big
[1:51:59] picture here.The US, And I hope these
[1:52:03] are half way accurate statistics, Is
[1:52:07] 5427 data centers, the largest number
[1:52:09] in the world. China, our technological
[1:52:13] giant neighboring competitor, Has 250In
[1:52:22] the majority of these are unused, they
[1:52:23] are not easy is been in operation at
[1:52:24] this point. So I think there's some
[1:52:25] thought that these centers are
[1:52:26] speculative in natureAnd who knows if
[1:52:32] they will ever be put into operation if
[1:52:33] the tax dollars will be coming into the
[1:52:34] fair peopleOf our county.I have also
[1:52:38] heard and maybe I thought this was a
[1:52:41] conspiracy theory that these are not
[1:52:42] data centersBut surveillance centers.
[1:52:46] So if you haven't read it, please do,
[1:52:49] it really talks about the actual use of
[1:52:51] the data.
[1:52:53] >>Thank you.
[1:53:05] >>Mr. Chairman, I think Vic Canfield is
[1:53:06] left so Jay Banks is the next speaker
[1:53:07] followed by Alexander (INAUDIBLE).
[1:53:10] >>If there's any gentlemen in the room
[1:53:11] that are practicing chivalry there's a
[1:53:12] couple of ladies in the back who might
[1:53:13] like to sit.Chivalry is not dead.
[1:53:27] >>Who is next, sir?
[1:53:28] >>Good evening.J Banks followed by
[1:53:33] Alexander.
[1:53:34] >>Alexander, if you can line up behind
[1:53:35] him?So we can move it along
[1:53:36] expeditiously.
[1:53:43] >>Randy, it's good to see you in
[1:53:44] Fairfax County this evening. I can't
[1:53:45] articulate any better than what the
[1:53:46] previous speakers have brought forth to
[1:53:47] you to talk aboutThis County. So I'm
[1:53:50] going to stick with what I know. And
[1:53:52] that's over 30 years of municipal urban
[1:53:54] forestryAnd land development process.So
[1:54:00] let's start. I attended James would
[1:54:02] Meeting and I brought the attention,
[1:54:07] The county's webpage states failure to
[1:54:11] maintain the required vegetative buffer
[1:54:14] is a violation of the County zoning
[1:54:15] ordinanceAnd can be enforced by the
[1:54:18] County.We only have to look at the
[1:54:24] solar panel farmsAnd we can see that
[1:54:27] that buffer yardIn those areas have
[1:54:30] failed miserably. And to this day,
[1:54:35] nothing is being done, they're not
[1:54:36] maintaining, the weeds are growing over
[1:54:39] them, the vines are choking them out,
[1:54:41] and all they've done is replace some
[1:54:42] trees.So it says you can maintain, so
[1:54:48] there is not a will to maintain.These
[1:54:51] buffer yards. And so there's going to be
[1:54:56] a big faction of buffer yards provided
[1:54:57] with this.
[1:55:00] >>Excuse me.So if we are not going to
[1:55:06] hold their feet to the fire, we are
[1:55:07] going to have a very difficult timeWith
[1:55:09] this project as well.So if we want to
[1:55:12] talk aboutOne of the issues that I saw
[1:55:18] At the James Wood meeting, There was a
[1:55:23] lady that was up on stage, very nice
[1:55:24] woman, she wasBrought in as an acoustic
[1:55:27] specialistAnd is brought toOn audiences
[1:55:32] attentionThat she was hired by the
[1:55:35] County because she understandsAcoustics.
[1:55:43] And when I brought up this issue about
[1:55:44] theSolar farms, the county staffJust
[1:55:48] saidWe are learning to work with the
[1:55:51] developer.
[1:55:55] So my question is if you go out to getA
[1:55:59] specialist to work on the acoustics of
[1:56:00] a project, why would you go out and get
[1:56:05] a qualified certified arborist to work
[1:56:06] with the countyWho understandsProperly
[1:56:13] can read them, write them, understand
[1:56:14] them and then the development
[1:56:15] conditions?And evaluate the existing
[1:56:16] vegetationIf they state they are going
[1:56:22] to say, there's no tree preservation in
[1:56:23] the zoning ordinance. There is none in
[1:56:25] the proffers. We will save some trees.
[1:56:30] Is left open to interpretation by the
[1:56:31] developer, not the county.
[1:56:36] I looked at the data center and I went
[1:56:37] through. The application is very poor.I
[1:56:45] will leave it at that.
[1:56:46] >>Thank you.
[1:56:48] [ APPLAUSE ]
[1:56:52] >>Alexander Witter followed byRebecca
[1:56:58] (INAUDIBLE). REMICADE evening, name is
[1:56:59] Alexander Witter and I am presidentOf
[1:57:04] (INAUDIBLE). As soon as a musician and
[1:57:05] hobbyist I prepared comments about the
[1:57:07] noise analysis but I think our sound
[1:57:08] consultant address the bulk of what I
[1:57:18] wanted to say. The most important thing
[1:57:19] here is for the residents. They will
[1:57:20] notice a significant increase in noise
[1:57:21] nearby. Even a technically compliant
[1:57:24] facility represents a dramatic change
[1:57:25] to the environment. Residents have
[1:57:26] known to generationsCompared to what
[1:57:27] they are accustomed to. You canArgue
[1:57:38] that it won't be above this or that
[1:57:39] threshold it isn't noise pollution but
[1:57:40] let's take a look at what our comp plan
[1:57:41] designs is noise pollution? Unwanted
[1:57:42] news often describedAs a displeasing
[1:57:43] sound that disrupts the activity or
[1:57:44] balance of human or animal life. A
[1:57:49] substantial number of people would
[1:57:50] probably describe that noise increase
[1:57:52] as a disruption and hardly anything is
[1:57:53] been said on the potential impact of
[1:57:54] that on deer and wildlife. The zoning
[1:57:59] ordinance themselves states that uses
[1:58:00] are allowed which do not create
[1:58:10] significant noise be on the property
[1:58:11] lines. Smoke, dust, or other hazard.
[1:58:12] Even the technical compliance there
[1:58:13] will be a perceptual increase in noise
[1:58:14] beyond the property line for the
[1:58:15] residents. I argue that any use that
[1:58:16] needs a proper to mitigate and
[1:58:17] increases use that doesn't conform to
[1:58:19] the standards of the TM ordinance
[1:58:20] itself.Moreover, even if data centers
[1:58:29] are allowed by right in the TM, that
[1:58:30] does not mean that the specific project
[1:58:31] fits within that zone.Now I want to
[1:58:32] address the Northeast Frederick land
[1:58:36] use plan. The applicant may counter all
[1:58:39] of this with a sentenceThat this area
[1:58:45] may be well suited for energy intensive
[1:58:46] development, yet this sentence is
[1:58:47] conditional. Note the full language
[1:58:50] reads only if the other necessary
[1:58:51] utilities could be provided in the
[1:58:53] development provides benefit to
[1:58:54] Frederick County. Does this project
[1:58:59] provide benefit to the county beyond
[1:59:00] revenue and maybe jobs?I would say no.
[1:59:06] The conference of plan states the
[1:59:07] purpose of a plan is to guide and
[1:59:08] accomplishThe development of the
[1:59:09] jurisdiction to the health, Safety,
[1:59:12] prosperity and general welfare.Revenue
[1:59:16] is a part of prosperity but the first
[1:59:17] things listed are health and safety.
[1:59:20] That order is important because you
[1:59:21] can't have prosperity without health
[1:59:27] and safety. Those two have precedents.
[1:59:28] When you are weighing rezoning, you are
[1:59:29] justifying in citing concerns about
[1:59:32] safety, health, and welfare. You're
[1:59:33] allowed to deny on the basis that the
[1:59:36] rezoning doesn't fit with the
[1:59:37] conference of plan, that the concerns
[1:59:38] have not been adequately addressed.
[1:59:40] What I have heard from the applicant is
[1:59:44] a lack of concern for our conference a
[1:59:45] plan, a lot of if's and uncertainties
[1:59:47] and creative interpretations of a
[1:59:51] county's ordinances. The plan
[1:59:52] discourages this type of use and I
[1:59:53] believe it is on this basis that the
[1:59:54] applicationShould be moved for denial.
[1:59:56] Thank you.
[1:59:58] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:00:03] >>Rebecca Bunning followed by Stacy
[2:00:04] Haga.
[2:00:05] >>My name is Reckitt Monson, I am a
[2:00:06] resident of Stonewall district. I would
[2:00:07] like to turn to the water concerns. The
[2:00:08] water thatThis facility over the will
[2:00:12] be using is coming from our groundwater
[2:00:13] and that affects all of us. The other
[2:00:14] thing that I wonder if we thought about
[2:00:16] isThis project willDisplaced maybe650
[2:00:25] houses.Are we going to do, add an
[2:00:33] additional 650 houses, house useDemand
[2:00:38] to our water system, water is essential
[2:00:43] , Is essential for all of us for life,
[2:00:47] So I just wanted to encourage youTo
[2:00:51] deny this application based on the
[2:00:52] amount of waterThat it will use.
[2:00:57] Virginia, as you guys probably are
[2:00:58] aware, has beenAnd horribly a drought
[2:01:00] situation and has entered a drought
[2:01:02] situationEvery year for the last four
[2:01:05] or five years. Climate scientists
[2:01:09] forecast thatFrequent drought will
[2:01:14] become more and more common, so we need
[2:01:15] to think about these things going
[2:01:16] forwardAnd not spend tomorrow's water
[2:01:21] today. So for that reason I encourage
[2:01:22] you to deny this application. Thank you
[2:01:23] for your time.
[2:01:24] >>Thank you.
[2:01:32] >>Stacy Haga followed by Matt Haga.
[2:01:33] From a good evening, my name is Stacy
[2:01:34] Neka and I live off Bruce town Road in
[2:01:38] the Stonewall district and I am here to
[2:01:39] oppose this rezoning effort. I could
[2:01:42] echo everything that has been said so
[2:01:43] farAnd that I anticipate will be said
[2:01:51] but at the health practitioner in the
[2:01:52] area I specifically am concerned about
[2:01:53] the health implications, I agree
[2:01:54] completelyWith what Doctor Reese was
[2:01:57] saying about the low tone frequencies,
[2:01:58] have great concerns. We don't have
[2:01:59] long-term dataOn these data centers. We
[2:02:04] do have short-term data, we do know
[2:02:07] that these frequencies andThe
[2:02:10] byproducts and omissions from these
[2:02:11] plans affect respiratory cardiovascular
[2:02:15] disease neurological function, brain
[2:02:17] health. We see an increase in all of
[2:02:24] these things already because of our
[2:02:25] daily lives and this will only add
[2:02:26] further insult to injury in my opinion.
[2:02:29] We have a long history in this country
[2:02:33] of doing things that we think are safe
[2:02:34] and healthy that end up not being safe
[2:02:37] and healthy. We put cocaine and
[2:02:38] Coca-Cola, we put lead in paint, we put
[2:02:41] radium and makeup, we put talcIn baby
[2:02:44] powder, doctorsSmoked in exam rooms.
[2:02:51] Let's not even talk about the last five
[2:02:52] years of assault on public health. We
[2:02:56] know there are long-term implications
[2:02:59] But we don't know what they aren't
[2:03:00] until we do we need to just slow the
[2:03:04] roll, like it's been said, we cannot
[2:03:05] rush into thisBecause ultimately the
[2:03:07] people, You guys, some of you are my
[2:03:12] friends, we are all going to pay the
[2:03:13] price, We are going to pay, we're going
[2:03:17] to have water scarcity, higher
[2:03:18] electricity bills, We are going to have
[2:03:20] higher healthcare costsIn real estate
[2:03:23] is going to tank, specifically we
[2:03:25] purchased our houseA year ago and angry
[2:03:32] Reservations because I already knew
[2:03:35] water was an issue and that's only
[2:03:36] going to further that issue. With the
[2:03:37] ultimate priceIs our health. We cannot
[2:03:40] get that back, and the only way to even
[2:03:43] improve your health when these
[2:03:44] environmentalFactors is to remove
[2:03:47] yourself and that's what's going to
[2:03:48] happenIn Frederick County, we will have
[2:03:50] to remove ourselves, Not bring people
[2:03:54] in, push people out, and I don't think
[2:03:58] that is a long-term solution for our
[2:03:59] county, thank you very much for your
[2:04:00] time.
[2:04:01] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:04:02] >>Thank you.
[2:04:07] >>Matt Hagar followed by Willie Deutsch.
[2:04:10] >>Good evening, Matt Hager, also
[2:04:14] Clearbrook, that was my better half
[2:04:15] just speaking. So I have heard the name
[2:04:22] equips mentioned several times, I
[2:04:23] believe that the applicant in this
[2:04:24] case. For those who don't know, equals
[2:04:25] is probablyMaybe even $1 trillion data
[2:04:26] center(INAUDIBLE). This is not just
[2:04:33] respectful or disparaging, butI don't
[2:04:34] knowThat they have a connection to this
[2:04:41] area. They're doing a good job, they
[2:04:42] are doing their job, they are pursuing
[2:04:43] the interest of their employer, But I
[2:04:46] don't know that their responsibility is
[2:04:51] the best interest of the citizens of
[2:04:52] the county, And I'm sure I don't want
[2:04:58] to tell members of the commission whose
[2:04:59] responsibility that is. There's a lot
[2:05:00] of reasons that I think that most of
[2:05:04] which have already been said that I
[2:05:06] think re-zoning, improving rezoning will
[2:05:13] Was a mistake. I want to point out
[2:05:15] questions around proffers. What's in
[2:05:20] the proffers, how they are in force and
[2:05:21] what's not in the propers.What's in the
[2:05:24] proffers, there are some serious
[2:05:25] ambiguities around sound. I believe
[2:05:28] there is a statement that theGenerators
[2:05:36] would not be used except in emergency
[2:05:37] circumstances, but I have not heard a
[2:05:38] definition of emergency. What does the
[2:05:41] company consider to be an emergency? Is
[2:05:42] at high rates? I don't know.Also,When
[2:05:52] we talk about lighting, there is
[2:05:53] consideration of individual lighting
[2:05:54] fixtures, but I didn't see any
[2:05:55] consideration of aggregateImpact of
[2:05:56] lighting.Has that been looked into? I
[2:06:05] don't know, but I can tell you having
[2:06:06] lived in multiple locations are on the
[2:06:07] county, industrial facilities the site,
[2:06:08] a national lightingIt throws off a lot
[2:06:16] of glow. Significant. The lighting
[2:06:17] doesn't address qualitative aspectsOr
[2:06:24] the type of lighting. I think the
[2:06:25] amount of light pollution can probably
[2:06:26] vary, I am no expert, based on the type
[2:06:27] of lighting being used.
[2:06:29] I think I would also mention in my last
[2:06:30] time hereThe biggest thing to me about
[2:06:33] the proffers isIt seemed inadequate
[2:06:49] Affecting those in the county most
[2:06:50] impacted by this development. I didn't
[2:06:51] see anything about, it's all berm,
[2:06:52] which is great, And I know there are
[2:06:55] limits to what proffers can be offered
[2:06:56] how they can be negotiated, but it
[2:06:58] didn't seem like there was a lot of
[2:06:59] thought given to how can we adjust the
[2:07:02] proffers or how can the applicant
[2:07:03] adjust the proffersTo better mitigate
[2:07:07] the impact of placing such an
[2:07:08] industrial siteRight next door? That's
[2:07:12] it, thanks.
[2:07:13] >>Thank you.
[2:07:35] >>My name is Willie Deutsche. One of US
[2:07:36] a really good question. If you had a
[2:07:37] data center would you live next to it?
[2:07:38] The applicant said I would look at the
[2:07:39] conference a plan, the zoning ordinances
[2:07:40] When I decide where to man. Buy. What
[2:07:41] is this land right now? It's mixed-use.
[2:07:45] Mixed-use is generally considered a mix
[2:07:46] of office-based restaurant storesHousing
[2:07:52] Kind while data centers is an
[2:07:53] acceptable use listed under it, the
[2:07:54] development has to be mixed. There's
[2:07:55] nothing mixed in this development.It's
[2:07:58] a heavy industrial base projectThat's
[2:08:02] entirely data centers. There's nothing
[2:08:03] mixed about it.A homeowner in the year
[2:08:07] by would have zero expectation they
[2:08:08] would have a high levelIndustrial
[2:08:10] project right next to their home when
[2:08:15] they looked at the comp plan it's all
[2:08:16] mixed-use. So I think you should take
[2:08:17] that under consideration.. Next, I want
[2:08:21] to run through a couple of polls. Polls
[2:08:22] are not everything, but April 2026
[2:08:24] Washington Post releasedA couple of
[2:08:30] polls in Northern Virginia. In 2023
[2:08:31] they saw 69% support for data centers.
[2:08:33] 2026 they saw 35%.Gallup released a
[2:08:42] national poll that said 77% opposition
[2:08:43] to data centers and Winchester showed
[2:08:44] overwhelming operation opposition. They
[2:08:46] had 2900 respondentsAnd only a 3%
[2:08:51] margin ofError.It's statistically
[2:08:58] significant. The more people that see
[2:08:59] it in their backyard realize they don't
[2:09:00] want it. One of the reasons here is jobs
[2:09:05] . The data center talk about the jobs
[2:09:06] they are bringing to the community.
[2:09:08] What they don't talk about is the fact
[2:09:09] that data centersExists to reduce and
[2:09:12] take away jobs from the population.We
[2:09:16] are looking at a future time. Where
[2:09:21] people don't have jobs because of the
[2:09:22] automation. We're not talking about
[2:09:23] universal basic incomes and ways to
[2:09:27] facilitate people that will no longer
[2:09:28] have jobs and mats because of data
[2:09:29] centers. One of the purposesOf mass
[2:09:33] hyper scale data centers being built
[2:09:34] across countryIs to reduce jobs that we
[2:09:37] have for corporate profit. So when you
[2:09:40] talk about jobs being brought inYou
[2:09:46] need to do a full study on jobs taken
[2:09:47] out and removed. You're seeing mass
[2:09:52] layoffs in the tech industry and when
[2:09:53] AI is brought in. Just talking about
[2:09:54] really the fewest jobs per square foot
[2:09:56] of a major industrial program being
[2:09:57] brought in, We also have to consider
[2:10:01] the jobs being taken out. Thank you
[2:10:02] very much.
[2:10:10] >>Heidi Liz Inskeep followed by
[2:10:11] Kathleen Cargill.
[2:10:14] >>My name is Heidi Liz Inskeep from the
[2:10:20] OPEC and district. Thank you for
[2:10:21] reminding me that I brought something I
[2:10:22] received in the mail from Frederick
[2:10:28] water, it starts with for the third
[2:10:29] consecutive year Frederick County is
[2:10:30] experiencing drought. By the time these
[2:10:31] data centers are built how many yearsWe
[2:10:32] have experienced drought. You tout the
[2:10:33] various water sources in Frederick
[2:10:35] County, not one of those water sources
[2:10:38] is unaffected by drought conditions.Now
[2:10:45] in 2008 the vision you have general
[2:10:46] assembly what lock the Commonwealth
[2:10:47] into a contractTo attract businesses.
[2:10:49] It seemed like a great idea, the
[2:10:50] reasoning wasThe few million that would
[2:10:55] be lost in revenue would be a small
[2:10:56] price to pay for the jobs that would be
[2:10:57] generated. That 2008 decision is now
[2:11:01] costing the Commonwealth billionsAnd
[2:11:04] Virginians are bound by itUntil2035.It
[2:11:10] is no wonder that billion dollar
[2:11:11] companies are flocking to this business
[2:11:14] friendly state for data centers.
[2:11:15] Ladies, gentlemen, We can't know what
[2:11:17] the future holds, but I hope that we
[2:11:21] can agree that climate change is real,
[2:11:23] even if we don't agree on its causeAnd
[2:11:25] I hope that we can agreeThat bar none,
[2:11:32] Our most precious natural resources are
[2:11:33] clean air and safe drinking water, Not
[2:11:36] Rare earth minerals and not data. The
[2:11:42] decisions that you make regarding data
[2:11:43] centers will have ramifications for
[2:11:44] decades. MostPossibly, I'm sorry, many
[2:11:50] possibly most of the people that will
[2:11:51] be adversely affectedIf data centers
[2:11:54] are allowed to litter Frederick County
[2:11:55] aren't even born yet.You have a
[2:11:58] gigantic responsibility on your
[2:11:59] shoulders, There will be no turning
[2:12:01] back. Thank you.
[2:12:06] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:12:07] >>Kathleen Cargill followed by Kurt
[2:12:11] Krieger.
[2:12:15] >>Hi, name is Kathleen Cargill, I live
[2:12:16] inOh Becca. My question is why would we
[2:12:22] put the health and safety of our
[2:12:23] residents in jeopardyFor opportunistic
[2:12:25] speculative investorsWith giant
[2:12:30] monstrosities for which there is
[2:12:31] undetermined need? Overcapacity of data
[2:12:34] centers is a thing.These data centers
[2:12:37] will probably be obsoleteWhen quantum
[2:12:45] computing arrives, which is happening
[2:12:46] before you know it and we are going to
[2:12:47] do this for lower taxes. Really? What
[2:12:52] price you put on environmental
[2:12:55] degradation? What price you put on the
[2:12:56] health of our community?I'm pretty sure
[2:12:59] my electricity rates are going to rise
[2:13:02] and eliminate any taxing that I
[2:13:03] personallyWould benefit from from these
[2:13:06] data centers.It certainly has in other
[2:13:10] states.We live in a beautiful valleyAnd
[2:13:17] you're considering destroying that with
[2:13:19] giant buildings that are in every sense
[2:13:21] of the wordFugly.Hit an emergency
[2:13:27] situation for water, Who gets the
[2:13:30] priority usage? The residents are the
[2:13:32] data centers?Same question on energy?I
[2:13:40] see they're trying to dress them up now
[2:13:41] by putting some glass up there, I hope
[2:13:42] that they addressBird strikes and they
[2:13:46] do that put the dots on the glass so we
[2:13:49] don't lose more birds of these things.
[2:13:52] This is being built, it's a speculative
[2:13:54] thing on spec.I find that problematic.
[2:14:00] Thanks for your time.
[2:14:01] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:14:09] >>Kirk Krieger followed by Steve
[2:14:10] Callahan.
[2:14:11] >>At evening. Members of the commission
[2:14:16] , Sheriff Stowe, my name is Kirk
[2:14:17] Krieger, I reside in the back Creek
[2:14:18] District. I would like to speak against
[2:14:19] the rezoned 04 26, the primary
[2:14:25] disqualifying issue of Virginia
[2:14:26] technology Park in my professional
[2:14:27] opinion are the planned 280 acres of
[2:14:30] fire generators which are intended for
[2:14:31] emergency power supply. The applicant
[2:14:34] was indecisive at the planning
[2:14:35] commission meeting, the work session on
[2:14:38] May 5 where they stated generators may
[2:14:39] beDiesel or natural gas. The final 10
[2:14:44] on application concluded that a 36 inch
[2:14:47] natural gas pipeline would be required
[2:14:48] to serve the project. Therefore the
[2:14:49] applicantEvidently for cost and
[2:15:01] convenience selected the least cost
[2:15:02] option. Let me repeat, for short-term
[2:15:03] cost and convenience the applicant has
[2:15:04] selected the dirtiest fuel source
[2:15:05] available. FurthermoreThe applicant has
[2:15:06] stated their intention to deploy tier
[2:15:07] for generatorsWhich according to
[2:15:09] Virginia state law just enacted is the
[2:15:10] only optionAvailable after July 1 of
[2:15:12] 2026. HER2- cannot be used. The proper
[2:15:17] is no meaning. Diesel and to a lesser
[2:15:20] extent national gas generators are
[2:15:21] known toAdmit particulate matter for
[2:15:30] which there is no safe level of
[2:15:31] exposure. It's 30 times smaller than
[2:15:33] the human hair.In addition, not just
[2:15:40] Monoxide or carbon monoxide are emitted
[2:15:41] from diesel generators exposuresThe PM
[2:15:43] 2.5 can induce asthma, heart attacks,
[2:15:45] stroke, lung diseaseAnd premature
[2:15:50] death. Therefore the use of 280Diesel
[2:15:54] fire generators will damage the health
[2:15:55] safety and welfare of the residents of
[2:15:59] Frederick County due to the effects of
[2:16:00] air pollution, the cost of air pollution
[2:16:02] Is conservatively estimated to range
[2:16:05] From $525 millionFrom $525 million-$980
[2:16:08] million, compare thatAgainst the
[2:16:11] promise benefit. It's stunning. On this
[2:16:15] basis, the rezonedHas been denied
[2:16:17] because it'sInconsistent with the
[2:16:20] NortheastLand use plan. It only agrees
[2:16:24] to abide byVirginia law and does
[2:16:27] nothing to mitigateThe quality. With
[2:16:34] respect to the cost, who pays? The
[2:16:35] county in the data center operator will
[2:16:36] be liable for the costsThrough tort
[2:16:37] claims filed by injured partiesAnd the
[2:16:41] estates of people injured through your
[2:16:42] actions and the operation of the data
[2:16:43] center.There being between 350 and 450
[2:16:49] Residential units within 1 mile, that's
[2:16:52] a lot of plaintiffs for a lawsuit. It's
[2:16:56] worthy to mention there is a school,
[2:16:57] 3.5 miles away and its similar modeling
[2:17:01] done using the cobra EPA co-benefits
[2:17:02] risk assessment modelShowsOf Plume, PM
[2:17:07] 2.5 can travel over 30 miles. It's not
[2:17:13] going to be limited to the immediately
[2:17:14] adjacent neighborhood, will affect many
[2:17:15] people. Please consider denialOf this
[2:17:16] rezoning request. Thank you.
[2:17:18] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:17:27] >>Steve Callahan followed by David
[2:17:30] O'Neill.
[2:17:31] >>I appreciate your passion but every
[2:17:32] time you clapYour delaying the next
[2:17:33] speaker to come up, so please hold your
[2:17:35] applause.. Who was it?
[2:17:36] >>Steve Callahan followed by Dave
[2:17:53] Willard O'Neill. Mr. O'Neill is here he
[2:17:54] can go ahead.
[2:17:55] >>Mr. O'Neill?
[2:17:56] >>Good to see you again.All right,My
[2:18:00] name is David O'Neill, I am a degreed
[2:18:02] architectAnd engineer and I am an
[2:18:07] author of the enterprise architecture
[2:18:08] guide for the unified architecting
[2:18:10] framework modern language which is the
[2:18:15] industry standard here for this
[2:18:16] business, a little higher than what
[2:18:18] level these guys work at. I work as a
[2:18:19] chiefEnterprise architectFor a major
[2:18:25] Global real-time industrial controlAnd
[2:18:27] telecom enterprise, One of the largest
[2:18:30] in the world. Within that context,
[2:18:35] hyper scale data centers such as
[2:18:36] proposed here are but one element among
[2:18:38] many otherComponents in that global
[2:18:44] enterprise architecture. I worked on
[2:18:47] Like the one I've worked on for the
[2:18:48] last 34 yearsIncluding design,
[2:18:50] deployment and real-time operations.
[2:18:54] Within that context I can assure you
[2:18:55] thatThe odds of any return on investment
[2:19:00] By the County given the overall
[2:19:01] lifecycleOf hyper scale data centers on
[2:19:04] this particular region locationAre
[2:19:06] extremely lowAnd likely toBe negative
[2:19:14] in the long term. Sir County is a small
[2:19:15] rural county. And its government are
[2:19:23] easily overwhelmed by large hyper scale
[2:19:24] data center operations, corporations,
[2:19:25] It's our county, power and water
[2:19:27] supplies currently stressed due to high
[2:19:28] demand, The power grid provider, PGM
[2:19:34] now down to about 16% on overall grid
[2:19:35] marginDuring the blackout, rolling
[2:19:37] blackoutsIn January, is an issue, the
[2:19:42] county is undergoingA drought watch to
[2:19:45] conserve water. Our Commonwealth of
[2:19:49] Virginia has an abnormal and
[2:19:51] disproportionateQuantity of the world's
[2:19:54] data centers including the largest
[2:19:58] grouping of hyper- scale centers in the
[2:19:59] world. Their location in Frederick
[2:20:05] County near these major fiber-optic
[2:20:06] runs that go through, there's about
[2:20:07] three or four major loops that have
[2:20:11] Mashburn makes us susceptible to hyper-
[2:20:12] scale data centerExploitation and
[2:20:14] including the risk for national
[2:20:17] security concernsSuch as terrorist and
[2:20:21] military types of attacks, even
[2:20:23] Non-terrorist as well.Hyper scale
[2:20:26] operations need to beLimited, I remain
[2:20:32] to national level preplanned locations
[2:20:35] like Asheboro and Dallas, Los Angeles,
[2:20:39] Chicago, these kinds of places, Denver.
[2:20:42] This county needs to work with the
[2:20:43] CommonwealthTo prevent Kuiper scale
[2:20:50] data Explorer to rotation of rural
[2:20:51] areas such as you've seen going on in
[2:20:52] Oregon, Iowa, places like that, so data
[2:20:56] centers consume huge amounts of power,
[2:20:59] one hyper scale is going to take
[2:21:00] equivalent of 17Frederick County's
[2:21:03] combined, About a gigawatt for the
[2:21:08] center, they must provide the power
[2:21:09] source, Last comment is thatIt doesn't
[2:21:16] matter you're dropping off this
[2:21:17] substation off the 500Vote line, it's
[2:21:22] part of the overall grid. So it will
[2:21:23] impactThings regardless. Thank you.
[2:21:28] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:21:34] >>Elizabeth mixer followed by Kathy
[2:21:35] Weiss.
[2:21:45] >>Everyone is touched on everything I
[2:21:48] want to touch on, butThis will
[2:21:54] reinforce my thoughts. Good evening, my
[2:21:55] name is Elizabeth mixer, I live in
[2:21:56] Frederick County. Therefore thousand
[2:21:58] data centers in the United States
[2:21:59] already. 737 of those are in Virginia.
[2:22:04] That's a lot.We do not have the
[2:22:13] infrastructure to support data centers
[2:22:14] in our area, we are aYour drought, we
[2:22:18] have been for a long time, we cannot
[2:22:23] They use it to send it back and we have
[2:22:28] to pay for fixing it we're going to
[2:22:29] lose some along the way, you always do.
[2:22:30] Shenandoah electricMakes its customers
[2:22:37] use lower usage nowBe it hot or cold.
[2:22:45] This would place a disastrous burden on
[2:22:46] the system even if they increase the
[2:22:47] infrastructure in their areaFor their
[2:22:48] machines, It's going to affect the
[2:22:50] whole system.A talking point is
[2:23:02] increase jobs. During construction this
[2:23:03] may be true for a short time. To run a
[2:23:04] data center requires very little, it's
[2:23:05] a bunch of machines. A few specially
[2:23:06] trained maintenance workers for air
[2:23:07] filtration and generator maintenance,
[2:23:12] generators that create quite a bit of
[2:23:13] disturbing noise 24 hours a day and
[2:23:14] depending on how the wind blows I used
[2:23:17] to live about half a mile from train
[2:23:18] track andX miles from a shooting range
[2:23:23] and if the wind was blowing right it
[2:23:24] sounded like it was in my yard. A few
[2:23:25] IT techs will round out the workforce,
[2:23:29] Dave tax, Data companies already have
[2:23:35] IT techs on their payrolls, they are
[2:23:36] scattered all over. Since they work
[2:23:37] remotely from home, Microsoft has
[2:23:42] announced it will be dropping itsAI
[2:23:45] completely. They blew through their
[2:23:47] whole annual budget in six months.It
[2:23:50] turns out is less expensive to use
[2:23:52] humans instead of AI. There seems to be
[2:23:55] no further, No future in AI data centers
[2:24:02] . Please do not be swayed by the $'s
[2:24:03] planted in your heads by the equivalent
[2:24:05] of used-car salesman.Data centers are
[2:24:08] notWorth the destruction of water
[2:24:11] resources, Power costs, damages to the
[2:24:15] environment and cost of voters and
[2:24:19] their families at any price. I leave
[2:24:22] you good people with this final thought
[2:24:24] , caveat emptor. Vote no.
[2:24:27] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:24:33] >>Kathy WeissFollowed by Melissa Wolf.
[2:24:42] >>Good evening, thank you for letting
[2:24:43] me speak to you, my name is Kathy Weiss
[2:24:44] , I am from Back Creek district, I will
[2:24:52] be brief. My concern with data center
[2:24:53] is written large is that land being
[2:24:54] lost to the structures once
[2:24:55] construction is underway or after they
[2:24:56] are built, Technology changes with time
[2:25:00] The building may become unneeded.
[2:25:02] Ownership may change. What becomes of
[2:25:05] the structure that's abandoned? How can
[2:25:08] we reclaim the use of all the land
[2:25:11] that's been sacrificed to the structure?
[2:25:14] How can we make the land whole again?
[2:25:19] Please factor this into your
[2:25:20] consideration, thank you.
[2:25:21] >>Thank you.
[2:25:22] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:25:29] >>Melissa Wolf Burke followed by Aaron
[2:25:30] Fox.
[2:25:31] >>Hi, and Melissa workWolf Burke and
[2:25:42] I'm written about Creek. I'm here
[2:25:43] because of my concerns about data
[2:25:44] center development in Frederick County.
[2:25:45] My husband and I moved here 27 years
[2:25:46] ago and have worked here and created a
[2:25:47] life in this wonderful county,
[2:25:48] primarily rural and historic. I love
[2:25:49] being part of this county, this
[2:25:50] community. While change is inevitable,
[2:25:51] I urgeThe planning commission to offer
[2:25:54] the residents of Frederick CountyThe
[2:25:56] time and the means to identify other
[2:25:58] ways to use the land without harming
[2:26:02] our wells, our health, and our rural
[2:26:03] areas. The data centers did not allow
[2:26:06] the align with the conference a plan
[2:26:10] for the county and urge the planning
[2:26:11] commission to vote no. Thank you.
[2:26:13] [ APPLAUSE ]Thank you.
[2:26:19] >>Aaron Fox followed by David Dixon.
[2:26:21] >>Aaron FoxBack with the district, you
[2:26:25] have a lot on your plate, I appreciate
[2:26:26] you takingThe time to consider all the
[2:26:28] facets of this. FrederickCounty is at a
[2:26:31] crucial crossroads, threeOur proposed
[2:26:36] that would change our county.Changing
[2:26:39] to this zone will set a precedent. As
[2:26:42] one of the most robust counties in the
[2:26:43] stateIt can set an example for the hold
[2:26:51] Shenandoah Valley where data centers
[2:26:52] are being proposed. I think it's easy
[2:26:53] to get stuck in the details to see if
[2:26:59] Aspects can be mitigated enough. But
[2:27:00] does this even align with our comp
[2:27:01] plan? The plan for this area states
[2:27:05] uses which significantly contribute to
[2:27:06] air noise and light pollution are
[2:27:07] discouraged in these areas,". This is
[2:27:08] likely becausePrivate homes. An air
[2:27:11] pollution we live in a valley, a bowl.
[2:27:17] The pollution doesn't dissipate as it
[2:27:18] does elsewhere, ask anybody here with
[2:27:19] allergies. As for noise, Has anybody
[2:27:23] studied the existing data centers to
[2:27:24] discover all the low-frequency noise or
[2:27:27] is based on hypothetical models? This
[2:27:31] area is labeled to become mixed use for
[2:27:32] future use, however the comp plan has
[2:27:34] additional guidelines for development.
[2:27:35] It breeds the quote should County
[2:27:37] should be proactive in showing the
[2:27:40] resources necessary or planned for in a
[2:27:47] viable way. There's a finite capacity
[2:27:48] of these resources that must be managed
[2:27:49] accordingly. The electric commands
[2:27:51] alone make this proposal deviate from
[2:27:52] the comp plan. Virginia already imports
[2:27:53] more energyIn every other state except
[2:27:55] CaliforniaBecause of the data center,
[2:28:00] Our grid has become vulnerable and
[2:28:01] costs arising. They are waiting for new
[2:28:03] transition lines to provide power. If
[2:28:06] we add to this region, we are
[2:28:10] proactively ensuring resources are
[2:28:11] managed accordingly.Here's some comp
[2:28:13] plan statements on tourism.First
[2:28:21] impressions often set the tone for
[2:28:22] visitors experience. The character of
[2:28:23] the entrance corridors is a key factor
[2:28:24] for the visitors experience in their
[2:28:25] decision to stay longer and hopefully
[2:28:31] return. Enhancing the aesthetics will
[2:28:32] improve impressions that will benefit
[2:28:33] the quality of life for residents.
[2:28:34] Quote two, the goal will be to enhance
[2:28:35] visitor experience.Quote three, it is
[2:28:38] critical to be capitalize onGrowth.
[2:28:41] These buildings will be tall, the
[2:28:45] substations will be looming, will be
[2:28:46] will what you see when you first enter
[2:28:49] Virginia. The first 20 years six
[2:28:53] especially. Firms only go so far, they
[2:28:54] have to go escrow. They can always
[2:28:56] change your signed to VirginiaIs for
[2:28:58] data centers. One last quote from the
[2:29:00] comp plan, overall a sound office in
[2:29:07] Development strategy will result in the
[2:29:08] conservation of a variety of resources
[2:29:09] and promote high-quality life for
[2:29:10] citizens. Important guidelines in the
[2:29:13] comp plan would have to be totally
[2:29:14] disregarded to approve this proposed
[2:29:16] use. Thank you.
[2:29:18] >>Thank you.
[2:29:19] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:29:25] >>David Dixon followed by Tammy
[2:29:26] Canfield.
[2:29:27] >>David Dixon, Stonewall district.
[2:29:28] First of all, this is going completely
[2:29:29] pendingWith the next fair energy because
[2:29:36] They have got pending court battles all
[2:29:37] over the country and as you all knowYou
[2:29:40] are in this county too, and soIt might
[2:29:43] not even go through anywaysAnd thenThis
[2:29:47] right here, this is Google the data
[2:29:50] centerIn linear North Carolina, they
[2:29:53] are pulling fromThe Catawba River, I
[2:29:58] think that's how you say it, and Lake
[2:30:00] Norma Lake Norman, this was constructed
[2:30:04] in 2008And this is only 60 acres, that
[2:30:09] center going 60 acres and what they're
[2:30:11] proposingIs 220 acresAnd then
[2:30:16] >>You're supposed to be addressingI'm
[2:30:22] just looking at this, I'm not looking
[2:30:23] at nobody else.923,000 gallonsAnd this
[2:30:29] is just for 60 acres and they are
[2:30:32] proposing 220 acres.So I would say
[2:30:37] their little off on their math.And
[2:30:42] hundred and 33 MW, A 900 MW.I'd say
[2:30:51] they are a little off. That's it.
[2:30:52] >>Thank you.
[2:31:08] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:31:09] >>Tammy Canfield followed by Mark Steph
[2:31:10] appear
[2:31:11] >>I am Tammy Canfield from the
[2:31:12] Stonewall district and I live about 2
[2:31:13] miles as the crow flies from flying J,
[2:31:14] and something my husband had to leave,
[2:31:15] but he has sent me this, So what I
[2:31:17] understand and I'm not very good with
[2:31:18] math and numbers, but what Alexis said
[2:31:20] was thatIt's about 30 dB higherThen
[2:31:27] went flying J is, And so if I
[2:31:33] understand this correctly, 30 would
[2:31:34] make it 80, Flying J is 50 to 60, would
[2:31:38] make it 80 to 90 dB. 90 dB is the sound
[2:31:44] , Is a low sound of a rock concert,So
[2:31:48] just imagine that right nowAnd when I
[2:31:52] go outside, especially at night, I hear
[2:31:53] the quarry running. I hear anyone and
[2:32:03] we are down by the OPEC and, which is
[2:32:04] drying up, by the way, I know they said
[2:32:05] they were going to do any land water
[2:32:06] groundwater. So anyways, just wanted to
[2:32:09] make mention of that and the soundI
[2:32:13] think it would be like wearing a
[2:32:15] concert, hearing that. Also I am very
[2:32:17] scattered personWhen I write my notes.
[2:32:23] We are, and I appreciate, I don't have
[2:32:24] any degrees, but I do a lot of reading
[2:32:26] On health and try to eat healthy and
[2:32:33] Alpha gal, so the six are really
[2:32:34] attacking me, needless to say, we are
[2:32:40] surrounded by 5G towers, I'm not sure
[2:32:41] if you guys were the ones that approved
[2:32:42] that are not, ButSo that has a lot of
[2:32:45] EMF and then we are going to have these
[2:32:47] data centers and that has a lot of EMF
[2:32:51] and the nurses spoke really well to
[2:32:52] that. These are all attacks on our
[2:32:55] health, tax on our cognition, tacked on
[2:32:56] ourEverything and so the moreWe let in,
[2:33:00] the moreAll we have is our health. We
[2:33:06] don't have our houses because the
[2:33:07] government owns that because we have
[2:33:08] pay taxes. Anyways,Also, these data
[2:33:10] centers, I don't know if you know the 3
[2:33:16] mile Island in Pennsylvania, they
[2:33:17] re-firedThe nuclear plant that melted
[2:33:21] down when I was a kidIn Amazon in China
[2:33:24] Are using thatTo fire up their data
[2:33:26] center, So I am very curious to know
[2:33:33] who owns this company, who is funding
[2:33:34] this company, is getting the dataFrom
[2:33:38] this company, because like the one lady
[2:33:39] said yes, it is a surveillance stateAnd
[2:33:43] we already know how Amazon listens to
[2:33:44] the Alexis stuff and writes everything
[2:33:45] down, We also know China is our enemy
[2:33:49] and China's behind the 5GCollecting
[2:33:52] data from the fiveThe nap. Now they
[2:33:58] will be connecting it from the data
[2:33:59] center. I think we need to stand up to
[2:34:00] our enemies,InterestMost important thing
[2:34:04] And data centers are not in human
[2:34:07] interest, therefore AI.
[2:34:09] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:34:13] >>Mark Stemple of followed by Bob her.
[2:34:14] >>I am Mark Stepford in the district
[2:34:22] it's past my bedtime so I am a little
[2:34:23] concerned about that. I know you fine
[2:34:24] gentlemen and ladies are doing this job
[2:34:27] For practically no pay, you care about
[2:34:30] the county, I believe that, I believe
[2:34:31] you will do. I think the problem here
[2:34:33] is just allow me to tell a story, my
[2:34:37] wife and I were living in mid 90sIn
[2:34:39] Asberry and one day we getA thing like
[2:34:42] this happens. WorldCom brought in the
[2:34:54] fiber.Once bringing in the fiber the
[2:35:04] Power falls, then after that these
[2:35:05] gentlemen right here, new people, they
[2:35:06] are just doing their job, making money,
[2:35:07] making good money, I'm sure, they came
[2:35:08] to givePresentation just like this. We
[2:35:14] are sure you. The berm is gonna be
[2:35:15] wonderful. Everything is wonderful.
[2:35:16] Nothing was wonderful. Berm didn't
[2:35:17] happen, They cut down all the trees,
[2:35:22] It's a drip drip drip, over 25 years,
[2:35:23] we lived there, came hereIn 2020Because
[2:35:28] we are surrounded by data centers, the
[2:35:29] noise literally driving people insane
[2:35:33] in their homes, their having mental
[2:35:34] breakdowns in their homes, they
[2:35:35] couldn't sell. So once you,You are the
[2:35:42] boardwalk. You hear the citizens. Is
[2:35:49] there anybody for this year?You are our
[2:35:57] representatives. We represent, you
[2:35:58] represent us for the supervisors we
[2:35:59] elect. And we are asking you to do your
[2:36:00] duty, to listen and represent what we
[2:36:02] want, not what, You have any idea how
[2:36:07] many billions of dollars a year in data
[2:36:13] centers these are going up for them and
[2:36:14] we are going get peanuts. You want to
[2:36:15] raise taxes, raise a couple of dollars.
[2:36:17] We will pay another couple hundred
[2:36:18] dollars. I don't need this,If you let
[2:36:22] this go through, mark my words,It won't
[2:36:29] be the first and will be the last,
[2:36:30] there will be endless data centers.
[2:36:32] Once the fiber comes in, power comes in
[2:36:33] , it's game over.The money, corrupts.
[2:36:44] And so this is what I'm asking you
[2:36:45] gentlemen and ladies to do, your job.
[2:36:46] Represent the citizens of this county
[2:36:47] And do your job. Thank you.
[2:36:50] [ APPLAUSE ]I met Bob curd followed by
[2:36:57] Julie Kern.
[2:37:00] >>Yes, I am Bob occurred, I am a
[2:37:03] licensed civil engineer. My
[2:37:06] undergraduate degree is from MIT. After
[2:37:10] MIT I went to VietnamAnd silver
[2:37:16] phantoms, hundred 80 combat missions.I
[2:37:24] would like to share specific concerns
[2:37:25] regarding building heavy AI centers in
[2:37:26] our county.Has anybody here heard of
[2:37:28] course?CarsOur form slowly by water
[2:37:38] dissolving limestone and dolomite.
[2:37:41] Underneath us right nowCaves,
[2:37:44] underground flowing rivers and sinkholes
[2:37:48] , especially near telephones.Most of
[2:37:52] Frederick County is under relayed by
[2:37:53] cars. Tonight the planning commissionIs
[2:38:03] Building data centers over karst land.
[2:38:04] It's not a good idea.Several of my
[2:38:07] neighborsHave had slabs, concrete slabs
[2:38:13] that their houses are built on SAG and
[2:38:15] they had to have them repaired. I myself
[2:38:18] OversawThe repair of a floor in a
[2:38:22] factorySouth of here,The floor started
[2:38:29] sagging, they had to raise it back up,
[2:38:33] They pumped on plastic under it to
[2:38:36] raise it back up.Google Earth shows an
[2:38:42] enormousSink hole near my home. And
[2:38:49] I've been watching over the years, even
[2:38:50] though we are in a drought, Google Earth
[2:38:57] Has pictures of the terrain.AndYou can
[2:39:01] tell that this sinkhole, which is 150
[2:39:05] yards in diameter, Has beenGetting
[2:39:11] deeper and deeper over the years in
[2:39:12] spite of the factThat we haven't had
[2:39:13] much rain. There is a new map coming out
[2:39:17] This month, they come outEvery June,
[2:39:23] and we just had a lot of rain, it will
[2:39:24] be interesting to see how much moreIt
[2:39:26] has fallen.I noticed that the companyAs
[2:39:35] a civil engineer, but they said nothing
[2:39:37] about a specializedKarst geological
[2:39:41] engineer.We have laws in this county
[2:39:46] That sayA site has to beCheckedBy a
[2:39:54] specialized Karst geologic engineer.
[2:39:58] Next time I speak I will have a list of
[2:39:59] those laws.Thank you.
[2:40:00] >>Thank you.
[2:40:05] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:40:13] >>Julie curd followed by Penny Smith.
[2:40:14] >>I have to say I couldn't be prouder
[2:40:15] tonightOf we the people of Frederick
[2:40:18] County.This is amazing. All the rest of
[2:40:25] this is absurd, Totally absurd, how did
[2:40:28] this go this far as what I don't know?
[2:40:32] How? Money.Money, money, money, and
[2:40:36] it's got to stop. We can't take it any
[2:40:38] longer, the people don't want this,
[2:40:41] it's not good for us, We don't want it.
[2:40:44] Sinkholes.On the line of Frederick and
[2:40:50] Clark County, there was a littleModest
[2:40:53] Ranch house, SinkholeWithin six months
[2:40:58] the whole thing was in the ground.
[2:41:03] These things do exist. This is not
[2:41:04] make-believe.This happened here, it can
[2:41:06] happen again, and we don't want it.
[2:41:13] In summary, citizens know the harm of
[2:41:14] data centers cause to their health and
[2:41:17] livelihood. We also know now that
[2:41:22] building over cursed land is unwiseAt
[2:41:25] its best and actually very foolish. As
[2:41:28] charged with decisionMaking by law the
[2:41:34] local planning commissioners and Board
[2:41:35] of Supervisors must doDiligence, you
[2:41:39] didn't get it from them. They are lying.
[2:41:44] I have brought up this very serious
[2:41:45] concern tonightThat should warrant
[2:41:47] disapproval of data centers. Know that
[2:41:53] your approval and subsequent building
[2:41:55] would destabilize water flowUnder our
[2:41:58] landsAnd likely contaminate it.
[2:42:03] Contamination would extendFor many,
[2:42:07] many miles. We also have catastrophic
[2:42:10] Thinking of heavy buildings. And, yes,
[2:42:16] a yes vote by you to allow the data
[2:42:17] centersWould be a grave insultTo the
[2:42:21] land that is precious to us and to our
[2:42:23] very lives. I would like to close by
[2:42:26] reminding this board that you are not
[2:42:27] hereTo what you think may be best for
[2:42:32] Frederick County the entity, You are
[2:42:35] here to protectWe the people. We are
[2:42:39] Frederick County.You are elected
[2:42:43] officials tasked with representingThe
[2:42:46] will of the residence of Frederick
[2:42:47] County, And we say no data centers.
[2:42:52] Thank you.
[2:42:56] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:43:02] >>Penny Smith followed by Kathy
[2:43:03] Weinman.
[2:43:04] >>Hello, I am Penny Smith. I worked in
[2:43:08] collaboration with my engineer friend
[2:43:09] and his wife and so I just did a couple
[2:43:10] of things to add, the scene: Clark
[2:43:11] County and swallow that house, it
[2:43:14] happened when they put a well and. All
[2:43:18] they did was drill a well and they
[2:43:19] tried to take the water out and the
[2:43:20] house filling the hole.Why you don't
[2:43:22] buildOver karst land, first of all, is
[2:43:31] highly discouraged by geologist, it's
[2:43:32] not a good idea. The data centers are
[2:43:33] too heavy, massive weight,They pump out
[2:43:35] tons of waterBefore they do, everyone,
[2:43:40] everywhere, they would pull water out
[2:43:46] of the car's land flowing streams, caves
[2:43:50] . The dewatering, the contamination, we
[2:43:56] have building requirements to prevent,
[2:43:57] we need to prevent sinkholes, but let
[2:43:58] me move on to what I had to share. If I
[2:44:01] can find it. I'm going to read the
[2:44:02] second partOf mine because of time,
[2:44:05] because I don't want that part cut off.
[2:44:11] I am focusing tonight on sound, the
[2:44:12] elephant in the room that they don't say
[2:44:14] Is the word in for a sound. I fear in
[2:44:18] for sound more than any other aspect of
[2:44:19] data centers and you all read my letter
[2:44:21] because I mailed it and emailed it. And
[2:44:23] for sound is sound that's too low to
[2:44:26] hear, it goes out in a 5 mile radius.
[2:44:30] Imagine living 1 mile or two, imagine
[2:44:32] being in school near the data center,
[2:44:35] imagine your home also. 10 of the 19
[2:44:38] schoolsIn Frederick County would be
[2:44:43] within a couple of miles of the data
[2:44:44] center. Data centers, They cause
[2:44:49] vibration. Our internal organs vibrate,
[2:44:51] our heart, our liver. True, no hype here
[2:45:00] , our bony cavities vibrate, our skull,
[2:45:01] eye socket, chest, I can't go to a rock
[2:45:02] concert, I can'tHandle the subwoofer,
[2:45:05] gives me chest pain. I can tell you one
[2:45:08] hour exposed to in for sound causes
[2:45:10] cardiac muscle to thickenAnd it causes
[2:45:13] the artery, cardiac arteries to
[2:45:17] thicken. This is dangerous stuff.
[2:45:20] People complain of constant headache,
[2:45:25] when your skull is vibrating. Nausea,
[2:45:26] that's the vestibular system, severe
[2:45:30] insomnia, dizziness, ill immunity
[2:45:32] irritability, respiratory disease,
[2:45:44] Mitochondrial disease, people move away
[2:45:45] from dentate centers further than 5
[2:45:46] miles, most of the symptoms abate. You
[2:45:47] can have permanent mitochondrial
[2:45:48] damage, like me following Lyme disease.
[2:45:50] I wanted to say in conversations from
[2:45:51] others aroundYou outside and play?
[2:45:55] >>I don't want to, I don't feel good.
[2:45:59] Sam lays down.Julie's mother.
[2:46:06] (INAUDIBLE) exploded over a minor
[2:46:07] thing. I don't know what's wrong with
[2:46:08] them, he is so irritable.
[2:46:13] >>Thank you.
[2:46:14] >>Blood money. That's what it is, blood
[2:46:15] money is money gained from an unknown
[2:46:16] paid resource, it hurts.
[2:46:17] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:46:28] >>Kathy one and followed by Mary Jo
[2:46:29] Strobel.
[2:46:33] >>Good evening, excuse me, my name is
[2:46:36] Kathy Weinman, and I live inThe back
[2:46:39] creek area.You know, I wish I had been
[2:46:45] first because everybody said most all
[2:46:46] of what I have to sayAnd they have said
[2:46:50] it very well. So I guess I will just
[2:46:51] reiterate., I, of course, have been
[2:46:53] opposed to the data centerBecause of
[2:46:57] the reasons mentioned, the negative
[2:46:58] impacts of massive water usage and, of
[2:47:01] course, the raised electric bills, air
[2:47:05] pollution, noise, And environmental
[2:47:09] concernsAnd with all due respectTo the
[2:47:15] people that are hereThat are proposing
[2:47:17] the data center, I really would like to
[2:47:20] hear statisticsFrom an impartialParty
[2:47:27] to compare.We have been told that
[2:47:34] dating data centers bring jobs but of
[2:47:35] course there only temporary because
[2:47:38] it's only when the data centers are
[2:47:39] being constructed. I found outTonight
[2:47:40] that sometimes the data centers bring
[2:47:42] in their ownConstruction cruiseTo
[2:47:50] construct it. So they're not really
[2:47:51] bringing us in jobs. The data centers
[2:47:56] only really employ about 100 people.So
[2:48:03] I suggest instead of building data
[2:48:04] centers we need to invest in projects
[2:48:07] that bring the most jobs with the least
[2:48:08] impact on our recess, resources
[2:48:10] citizens and land. We have rapid growth
[2:48:13] in the area, Our infrastructure keep up
[2:48:17] with the demand of new housing, New
[2:48:19] businesses and data centers?You
[2:48:28] probably noticed in your yard or your
[2:48:29] neighbor's yard some dead plants
[2:48:30] recently because of the drought. What
[2:48:31] will happen if we have data centers and
[2:48:33] experiences severe drought? Whose water
[2:48:36] will be restricted, ours are the data
[2:48:38] centers?The Shenandoah area is a
[2:48:44] popular destination for escaping the
[2:48:45] noise in conjunction congestion of city
[2:48:48] life. Let's keep our rural areas
[2:48:52] Preserve our farms and protect the
[2:48:53] nature that are tourists and residents
[2:48:55] Enjoy. Respectfully, please don't
[2:48:58] Bedazzled by dollar signs. It will have
[2:49:00] a negative impact if we have these data
[2:49:02] centers come. God gave us this
[2:49:05] beautiful area, Let's be good stewards.
[2:49:12] Remember the Apple looks really good to
[2:49:13] even look what happened with that.
[2:49:17] >>Thank you.
[2:49:19] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:49:23] >>Mary Jo Strobel follow by Pat Werth.
[2:49:29] >>Hi, there. I will keep it short and
[2:49:30] sweet. Mary Jo Strobel, I am upResident
[2:49:34] of the Redbud district and I urge the
[2:49:35] commission to deny the rezoning0426 for
[2:49:39] the Virginia technology ParkOr at
[2:49:41] minimum delay action until additional
[2:49:44] information is offered from public
[2:49:46] review. I'm concerned about unanswered
[2:49:51] questions regarding the long-term
[2:49:52] impactsOf this project on Federick
[2:49:55] County residents, the resourcesIn the
[2:49:57] infrastructure. As many have shared
[2:49:59] today, noise remains a concern. The
[2:50:04] impact on nearby homes and the health
[2:50:09] of residents must be carefully
[2:50:10] considered. Water usage and electrical
[2:50:13] are two other major concerns, And I've
[2:50:17] not been able to find any publicly
[2:50:18] availableIndependent studies evaluating
[2:50:21] the long-term cumulative impactsOf this
[2:50:24] project on County water resources or
[2:50:28] electrical infrastructure and
[2:50:30] capacities.
[2:50:36] I heard repeatedly this evening about
[2:50:37] the current water capacity.The capacity
[2:50:38] today, but I didn't hear anything about
[2:50:41] the capacity during periods of drought
[2:50:44] Or future growthGiven this state scale
[2:50:48] of the proposed development and its
[2:50:50] expected lifespan residents deserve a
[2:50:52] more comprehensiveIndependent and
[2:50:55] public analysisOf these impacts.The
[2:51:02] rezoning would have long-term
[2:51:03] consequences for our beautiful County
[2:51:04] And its residentsAnd if it's technology
[2:51:08] part is approved and developed the
[2:51:13] impacts will be challenging if not
[2:51:14] impossible to reverse for these reasons
[2:51:17] I respectfully request the commission
[2:51:19] deny rezoning or defer actionUntil
[2:51:23] these issues can be more fully evaluated
[2:51:28] and made available for public review.
[2:51:29] Thank you for your considerationAnd for
[2:51:30] your service.
[2:51:31] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:51:34] >>At word followed by usually grow.
[2:51:43] >>Thank you for this opportunity. I
[2:51:44] would like to thankWyatt Pearson and
[2:51:46] his team and I would like to thankThe
[2:51:48] planning commission for all the work
[2:51:52] that you are doing on our behalf
[2:51:53] because I believe you do have our best
[2:51:54] interest at heart. You might be
[2:51:59] wondering why I brought this with me.
[2:52:03] Several years ago, a very dear friend
[2:52:04] of mineMoved into an over 55 community
[2:52:10] In Prince William County.And there was
[2:52:13] a decision madeTo build a data center
[2:52:17] next to this community. I now live in
[2:52:22] an over 55 community, but I will say
[2:52:23] there are some of us who are we over 55
[2:52:24] that live there, But I started doing
[2:52:29] research to help her back thenLook into
[2:52:32] all of theRamifications, all the
[2:52:36] information available about data centers
[2:52:41] . I love doing research, and I never
[2:52:42] stopped because it kept getting younger
[2:52:45] and bigger and more and more expanded
[2:52:52] And I did live in Fairfax County for
[2:52:53] almost 50 years and my husband and I
[2:52:54] moved out hereAlmost 4 years ago, but
[2:52:57] we had a business in Loudoun County for
[2:52:58] over 20 years, So in all about the data
[2:53:03] centers, but when I go back there now,
[2:53:04] I don't even recognize what it looks
[2:53:05] likeAt all.I have beenContinuing to get
[2:53:12] Information on a daily basis from
[2:53:13] around the countryAnd of course I am
[2:53:17] keeping up with what's happening in our
[2:53:18] own communityAnd I believe that you
[2:53:21] have a very, veryImportant decision to
[2:53:25] make that going to affect (INAUDIBLE).
[2:53:30] And I truly believe that although
[2:53:34] everyone is doing their best possible
[2:53:35] job to give you all the information
[2:53:38] that you need to make an informed
[2:53:39] decisionI am standing here tonight to
[2:53:43] tell you I don't think you've got all
[2:53:44] the informationThat you really need to
[2:53:48] make an informed decision. I think
[2:53:49] you've heard a lot aboutWater, about
[2:53:51] electricity, about all kinds of things,
[2:53:55] but I have been looking at what's been
[2:53:56] happening around the entireCountry in
[2:53:59] the different situations that occur and
[2:54:03] they occur frequently in different
[2:54:04] places and you don't know what's going
[2:54:05] to happenUntil it happens.And so rather
[2:54:12] than getting into the details, but if
[2:54:13] any of you wantAny answers, Any
[2:54:17] questions answered, this is just a
[2:54:20] teeny bit of the research that I have
[2:54:22] on this from all over the country, And
[2:54:25] I would respectfully requestThat you
[2:54:31] vote no on this because I think that
[2:54:32] there's a lot of information that you
[2:54:33] don't have a handBecause you don't get
[2:54:35] the whole entire picture although you
[2:54:36] get a lot of itFrom the residents that
[2:54:39] live here.AndThe PopeHas chimed in on
[2:54:45] data centers.
[2:54:46] >>Thank you.
[2:54:49] >>Thank you.
[2:54:50] [ APPLAUSE ]
[2:54:56] >>Anjali Grubb followed by Ostertag.
[2:55:00] Teresa, I think you can go ahead.
[2:55:16] >>Hello, my name is Teresa Ostertag,
[2:55:22] and from bad Creek, I'm going to be
[2:55:23] speaking on the grid and power. The
[2:55:24] grid isn't stable enough to do the
[2:55:29] rapid growth of data centers,
[2:55:30] currently, 85 data centers that are
[2:55:31] already built cannot be plugged in
[2:55:34] because there isn't enough power to
[2:55:35] plug-in. The Navy currently will use
[2:55:37] USS GeraldAre forward to power naval
[2:55:40] station at Norfork, Showing the frailty
[2:55:44] of our grid. In Lake Tahoe, California,
[2:55:53] NV energy is giving the 50,000
[2:55:54] residents there one year to find
[2:55:55] another energy supplier. Why? Because a
[2:55:56] data center wants the power.For one
[2:56:00] data center alone in Coweta, Georgia,
[2:56:01] Georgia Power, which is a very powerful
[2:56:03] company, is using eminent domain to take
[2:56:10] Their homes, demolish them and take the
[2:56:11] land for at least 300 other homes and
[2:56:12] property using eminent domain.All of
[2:56:16] those houses and land will be forever
[2:56:17] changed by just one data center. They
[2:56:18] aren't even being paid what it's worth.
[2:56:23] There are affected the most, fully
[2:56:24] losing the sanctity and use of their
[2:56:33] yards, patios, gardens, pools, acreage
[2:56:34] care for chickens, cattle, goats,
[2:56:35] people work their whole life to achieve
[2:56:36] what they called the American dream,
[2:56:37] their whole life with careful choices
[2:56:38] and planning they have their paradise
[2:56:39] but not enoughTime was spent on voting
[2:56:42] and electing the right people. The
[2:56:44] people that are electing may say, They
[2:56:47] may say that the electric company, What
[2:56:50] they did is not my fault. I say it is,
[2:56:53] Cause and effect.In Virginia, Dominion
[2:56:57] and Nextera him arts recently making it
[2:57:01] more powerful. From what I hear next
[2:57:07] year as a dirty company with lawsuits
[2:57:08] across the country allegedly. Also the
[2:57:09] battery storage, that's what you call
[2:57:12] it, it's a battery hunted to help power
[2:57:13] the grid. From one understand there his
[2:57:14] thoughts all acrossThe county, future
[2:57:18] homes and hubs.Get used to them being
[2:57:22] built and run by private entities. The
[2:57:24] battery life of seven years.Who will
[2:57:31] decide the charges?Who will regulate it?
[2:57:40] This is what we will be facing if you
[2:57:41] let them in. Currently we have now been
[2:57:44] billed for over $900 million in
[2:57:45] transmission line costs being paid for
[2:57:48] the residents of seven states,
[2:57:49] Virginia, West Virginia,Ohio, Maryland,
[2:57:55] Delaware, New Jersey. We are paying to
[2:57:56] build these transmission lines and we
[2:57:57] will both billing to maintain them and
[2:57:58] overlie. CurrentlyElectricity went up
[2:58:07] 650 per 1000 kW. Maia went up $17. You
[2:58:08] cannot protect us fromWhat they do if
[2:58:10] you let them in. Data center charges in
[2:58:13] addition, data center, There is an
[2:58:16] amendment made by the governor, Oh,
[2:58:20] crap. Anyway,There is a lot more, we
[2:58:24] don't want to be in Loudoun County,
[2:58:27] please listen to the county, we don't
[2:58:28] want to change, and alsoWas the
[2:58:32] calling, the conference a plan. You can
[2:58:33] make changes, You can make this better,
[2:58:42] The EDA strategy is currently not
[2:58:43] working, please change the conference a
[2:58:44] plan, please listen to the people, you
[2:58:45] can make changes, Thank you.
[2:58:46] >>Thank you.
[2:58:53] >>:Tensely followed by Linds a says
[2:58:54] delay. Linda says allay.
[2:59:10] >>Hello, everyone.Hello, everyone.I
[2:59:19] have been working pretty hard since I
[2:59:20] got here, there a lot of people,
[2:59:21] obviously, that are very concerned with
[2:59:22] what's going on, So I missed everything
[2:59:23] that they said.
[2:59:33] Here's what I got. I am super concerned
[2:59:34] about these data centers coming in, I
[2:59:35] know that you all are going to be
[2:59:36] passing out to the Board of Supervisors
[2:59:37] whether or not you think they should be
[2:59:38] Voting yes or no on this.I think it's
[2:59:39] pretty obvious the answer is no. Big
[2:59:40] points here, I don't wantUs center that
[2:59:44] is going to have some billionaire
[2:59:46] corporationsOr maybe some foreign
[2:59:53] corporations coming in and collecting
[2:59:54] our data and using it for God knows what
[2:59:58] . It's not something I'm interested in,
[2:59:59] and I don't think anybody here wants to
[3:00:00] see any of that.Further, we have enough
[3:00:02] Data centers and we have enough
[3:00:05] Infrastructure that lets people use
[3:00:07] Facebook and meta and Amazon as much as
[3:00:10] we need, We can Netflix all day,No
[3:00:18] problem. We don't need anymore. My
[3:00:19] concern is, this is the thing that's
[3:00:20] most pressing for me, Is that these
[3:00:25] data centers are not really going to be
[3:00:26] used to make our lives any better, but
[3:00:27] instead they're going to be used to have
[3:00:31] These block cameras placed in, they're
[3:00:32] going to be microphones on them, these
[3:00:33] already past things that are being used
[3:00:35] in other places across the country. If
[3:00:38] these data centers are providing the
[3:00:39] brains, this technology can be run onOr
[3:00:44] it can listen to anyone of these people
[3:00:45] walking down the street, Talking to
[3:00:49] each other and saying, you know, I
[3:00:50] don't feel like the Board of Supervisors
[3:00:53] is really listening to us. As the
[3:00:54] market may you live? Is a keyThose data
[3:01:00] centers can say tag Jack. What's in a
[3:01:01] rowboat dog to his house.That's
[3:01:02] possible. It's very possible and it
[3:01:05] happens. You can look this stuff upIn
[3:01:10] the US today. So I don't want to hear.
[3:01:11] I don't want anythingThat is going to
[3:01:13] allow that to happen to other peopleWho
[3:01:16] are hereWith the freedoms that we are
[3:01:19] supposed to have.Granted to us when we
[3:01:28] have a representative democracy, when
[3:01:29] people are standing up and saying hey,
[3:01:30] we don't want this, we have thousands
[3:01:33] of people signing petitions, people
[3:01:34] here, is today Wednesday?On a Wednesday
[3:01:35] night, I got work tomorrow, I have work
[3:01:42] today, I called into work so that I can
[3:01:43] plan around this entire event. It's
[3:01:44] that important.I paid money to be here.
[3:01:47] I rent to pay.I have to put food on the
[3:01:50] table,And it's really impossible to
[3:01:58] think about how we are even going to
[3:01:59] get food from local farms and they
[3:02:00] don't exist anymore because the data
[3:02:01] centers have destroyed them.So I don't
[3:02:04] want to come off as I am angry to you
[3:02:07] all, you are the onesBoard to say no,
[3:02:12] or we are going to replace them.
[3:02:14] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:02:20] >>Lenses says valet followed by Amy
[3:02:22] roach.No Linda or Amy? Amy.
[3:02:42] >>Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,
[3:02:43] my name is Amy roach, and I am a
[3:02:44] lifelong residentOf the Shenandoah
[3:02:45] ValleyAnd I live 2 milesFromWhere the
[3:02:50] proposed data centers going to be, I
[3:02:53] live at the foot Oaks across an open
[3:02:57] Lord church, my husband is the pastor.
[3:02:58] I am here tonight to strongly opposeThe
[3:03:02] proposed Virginia technology Park data
[3:03:03] center. This project would transform
[3:03:07] 220 acresOverall land into an
[3:03:18] industrial complex consisting of data
[3:03:19] center buildings substations and 288
[3:03:21] diesel generators. That alone should
[3:03:22] give us all pause.But what concerns me
[3:03:25] most is the enormous demandThis
[3:03:29] facility would place on our communities
[3:03:30] water and electrical resources.
[3:03:35] According to the application, this
[3:03:36] campus would be permitted to use up to
[3:03:37] 120,000Gallons of water every single day
[3:03:41] this representsA noticeable portion of
[3:03:48] the county's total water demand. That
[3:03:49] is over 43 million gallons of water
[3:03:53] Every year while the applicant says
[3:03:54] they will not use groundwater directly,
[3:03:56] That water still has to come from
[3:03:57] somewhereHere comes from resources that
[3:04:01] serve our residents, our businesses,
[3:04:03] Our schoolsIn the fix our growth. Is
[3:04:15] our region continues to experience
[3:04:16] drought, population growth and
[3:04:17] increasing pressure and water supplies
[3:04:19] is difficult to justify dedicating tens
[3:04:20] of millions of gallons annually to a
[3:04:21] data center operation. The electrical
[3:04:25] demand is even more alarming, data
[3:04:26] centers are among the mostEnergy
[3:04:38] intensive facilities ever built. They
[3:04:39] concern consume vast amounts of
[3:04:40] electricity 24 hours a day seven days a
[3:04:41] week. The reason the site was selected
[3:04:42] is because it's next to major
[3:04:43] transmission infrastructureAnd the plan
[3:04:44] substation. That should tell us
[3:04:45] everything we need to know about how
[3:04:46] much power this project will require.
[3:04:50] The result will be more pressure on our
[3:04:51] electrical grid, more transmission
[3:04:52] infrastructureAnd potentially higher
[3:04:53] costsThat ultimately affect residents
[3:04:56] and local businesses. These facilities
[3:04:59] consume enormous amounts of powerBut
[3:05:01] create relatively few permanent jobs
[3:05:03] compared to theInfrastructure. We must
[3:05:15] also consider the quality of life
[3:05:16] impacts. Staff have already
[3:05:17] acknowledged that even the proposed 60
[3:05:18] dB noise limit represents a significant
[3:05:19] increase overAmbient conditions.
[3:05:23] Residents who chose to live here should
[3:05:24] not be suspect soon, Frederick County
[3:05:29] hasValued it's heritage and quality of
[3:05:39] life, once this land is rezoned and
[3:05:40] developed there is no going back. They
[3:05:41] aren't making land anymore. We have
[3:05:45] traded, we will have traded open space
[3:05:46] and community character for a project
[3:05:47] that consumesExtraordinary amounts of
[3:05:48] water and electricityWhile providing
[3:05:57] benefits to local residents. I urge you
[3:05:58] to vote no and reject this rezoning
[3:05:59] request. Thank you.
[3:06:00] >>Thank you.
[3:06:02] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:06:05] >>(INAUDIBLE) followed by Cynthia
[3:06:06] Miller.No Elizabeth or Cynthia?
[3:06:24] >>At evening. First wanted to say thank
[3:06:25] you for your questions that you asked
[3:06:26] the applicant last time, I was pretty
[3:06:27] impressedWith your quick knowledgeAnd
[3:06:32] care that you showedAbout this project
[3:06:41] I've lived inFrederick County since
[3:06:44] 1988. Now I am back out in the rural
[3:06:51] area which I like a lot. I moved here
[3:06:53] to go to college at Chanel University,
[3:06:57] a couple of degrees from there, andI
[3:07:03] love it here, my family, I raised here,
[3:07:04] my daughter has raised her family here
[3:07:05] AndWe like the way it is. Not that
[3:07:14] things are going to stay the same
[3:07:15] because people keep moving here, not
[3:07:16] that we have to respond to housing
[3:07:17] demands from other counties, But I do
[3:07:18] believe we need to maintain the rural
[3:07:19] character. In fact, in our
[3:07:21] comprehensive plan, we talk a lot about
[3:07:23] that. I will just read you a short
[3:07:29] quote, Frederick County's rural
[3:07:30] character is a key componentIn its
[3:07:32] identity and one of the key aspects
[3:07:37] that draw visitors and new residents to
[3:07:38] the area. Historically these rural areas
[3:07:39] have supportedA wide array of
[3:07:41] agricultural uses which at one time was
[3:07:44] the primary industry in the county.
[3:07:46] Today these agricultureAnd forestry
[3:07:52] activities generate roughly $33 million
[3:07:53] per year and preserve close to 110,000
[3:07:57] acres of rural land. In fact, we gained
[3:08:03] 9000 acres between 2012 and 2017In
[3:08:05] farmland.They provide some out of the
[3:08:14] 266,000 acres 243 are rural. That's
[3:08:19] huge. Most of our county is rural. The
[3:08:23] census determined that there was a 9%
[3:08:24] increaseAnd farmland. No environmental
[3:08:30] impact study is been doneWhat's going
[3:08:39] to happen when you change this farmland
[3:08:40] will to what I would consider heavy
[3:08:41] industrial. It's not light industrial,
[3:08:42] it's notTechnology, it's heavy
[3:08:44] industrial, I've been doing a lot of
[3:08:45] research like many of my otherResident
[3:08:46] friendsAnd neighbors and we are finding
[3:08:50] that there is a lot more to this than
[3:08:52] we know about it.When you look at the
[3:08:57] residential, the comprehensive plan,
[3:08:58] there isNo mentionOf data centers, And
[3:09:06] I know that's because it's been a few
[3:09:07] years and this is been a big onslaught
[3:09:08] It's occurred very rapidly but with the
[3:09:10] current plan that's being developed,
[3:09:13] maybe that's where we can set some
[3:09:15] ground rules and slow this thing down a
[3:09:17] little bit.Maybe by then we will learn
[3:09:21] a lot more about data centers so that
[3:09:23] we can prevent what's happening.I am
[3:09:26] going to submit my comments in writing
[3:09:32] to you just because I don't want to
[3:09:33] repeat everything that everybody else
[3:09:34] had said. Can I give that to you?
[3:09:37] >>You can give it to Mr. Pearson.
[3:09:38] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:09:41] >>Rynecki (INAUDIBLE)KC (INAUDIBLE).
[3:09:49] Thank you.For McKay, planning
[3:09:57] commission, name is Lenny sweet and I
[3:09:58] am here in support of the data center.
[3:09:59] The reality is data is modern
[3:10:00] infrastructure. We use it to
[3:10:07] communicate, we bank, we keep records,
[3:10:08] we conduct business, the list goes on,
[3:10:09] bottom line is dataIsn'tA lecturing, is
[3:10:13] an integral part of life. I'll be the
[3:10:14] first to admit I love data, change my
[3:10:15] life. Previous generationsBuilt
[3:10:18] airports, highways, power plants, our
[3:10:21] generation is building data
[3:10:22] infrastructure.With that being said
[3:10:27] there's a few concerns, there's the
[3:10:28] noise, their missions, The truth is the
[3:10:33] site six next to a wet highway corridor
[3:10:34] or service center, it is going to
[3:10:36] produce just a fraction of the noise
[3:10:37] it's already comeAn even smaller
[3:10:40] fraction of the admissions being
[3:10:41] admitted. Is it going to increase
[3:10:43] significantlyWhat's already there? No,
[3:10:46] it's not.The water, all the plans they
[3:10:52] should be judged on their engineer
[3:10:56] qualification, regulatory oversight,
[3:10:57] I'm sure everybody can get along,
[3:10:59] That's kind of out of my hands, I'm not
[3:11:00] exactlyThe water engineer.Of eDOT's 2024
[3:11:07] Figure for Interstate 81 Erickson 317 is
[3:11:14] Thousand vehicles every day. 300
[3:11:15] generators,That's like 0.75% of the
[3:11:21] 66,000 engines that are already passing
[3:11:22] through that location.It's very
[3:11:33] negligible. Commissions, not even close
[3:11:34] to what's going on. Water needs to be
[3:11:35] drainage runoff alsoTo be in
[3:11:43] consideration. I love data, I love my
[3:11:44] prime membership, these are also
[3:11:45] integral parts of life.. Now the bigger
[3:11:52] question isWhat are we going to do with
[3:11:54] this land, Frederick counties land plan
[3:12:00] is to industrialize, it's already on
[3:12:01] the east, is coming down in the best
[3:12:05] state case scenario, this land is never
[3:12:06] going to be farmland again.Unlikely be
[3:12:10] residential, it's not going to be a
[3:12:11] nature preserveOr in the community
[3:12:17] campus. Best case scenario is a
[3:12:18] factory, maybe a truck terminal or a
[3:12:19] data center. We've got ask ourselves
[3:12:22] what is going to make the least amount
[3:12:23] of traffic, what's going to generate
[3:12:24] the most revenue?It's projected three
[3:12:30] to $500 million over the course of its
[3:12:31] life time, you got to think about the
[3:12:34] six or seven icicles, the roads, the
[3:12:36] aquatic center, Parks and Recreation,
[3:12:41] future County investments. Beyond
[3:12:42] direct revenue, future industries.
[3:12:48] Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity,
[3:12:49] cloud computing, software development,
[3:12:50] digital media all on the rise, all
[3:12:51] depend on data. Now not only will the
[3:12:58] data center generate substantial
[3:12:59] revenue but all the adjacent industries
[3:13:00] it attracts generate more revenue.I
[3:13:04] can't believe I ran out of time. But if
[3:13:07] we want to think about investments for
[3:13:08] the future where kids and grandchildren
[3:13:10] Might pursue careers
[3:13:13] >>Thank you.
[3:13:19] >>KC (INAUDIBLE) followed by generals
[3:13:25] Jennifer Smith.
[3:13:26] >>Hi, guys, I am Casey, I am a
[3:13:27] 31-year-oldSingle mom, I knewRep for
[3:13:32] jute refugee from Shenandoah County, I
[3:13:33] just sold myTown House because they are
[3:13:37] planning a data center right across the
[3:13:38] street. So I moved to Stephen city and
[3:13:41] luckily found somebody to buy my house
[3:13:46] Before, unfortunately they realize
[3:13:47] there's also a data center going to be
[3:13:48] there.Which I thinkI want to point out
[3:13:53] a point which I haven't really heard
[3:13:54] anybody talk about which is the factOf
[3:13:55] the heat also that these data centers
[3:14:01] generate, they are running 24/7, 365
[3:14:02] days and factories or even like houses,
[3:14:07] The sun goes down, everything kind of
[3:14:08] cools off, That doesn't happen when you
[3:14:11] have a data center running all the
[3:14:12] freaking timeAnd that he goes up, the
[3:14:14] local data, I think it was service
[3:14:20] temperatures around areas where data
[3:14:21] centers are have risen 3.6 F to 60 F,
[3:14:27] Locally around those areas, like your
[3:14:28] kids playing outside, a 10-year-old son
[3:14:32] And he loves to play outside and gets
[3:14:33] all red-facedAnd that'sWith the
[3:14:35] temperatures as they are now.SoIf
[3:14:42] you're raising the local temperature,
[3:14:43] anywhere from 4 to 60 in JulyBut it's
[3:14:48] already 98 outside, I don't know any
[3:14:49] 10-year-old or adultWho can stand
[3:14:52] outside in that temperature. That's
[3:14:53] just insane we're talking aboutRaising
[3:14:56] the electric bills may be even
[3:14:58] indirectly, If it's 100 outside,
[3:15:02] hundred and five, I am going to be
[3:15:06] blasting the AC, we are all going to be
[3:15:07] hot. My usage will go up because the
[3:15:11] temperatures are going to be up
[3:15:12] outside. The effectsOf heat on your body
[3:15:18] , What it is that hot, I can have
[3:15:19] effects on your cardiovascular, your
[3:15:20] lungs, It's also not great in general.
[3:15:25] I think that like I've seen a lot of
[3:15:26] like generations older than mine,
[3:15:28] there's not a lot of people my age here
[3:15:29] but I thinkI just want to say that's
[3:15:34] not to say that we don't care about
[3:15:35] these things, but mostly just that I
[3:15:40] talked to my friends all the time about
[3:15:41] it, I am a dental hygienist, I talk to
[3:15:42] patients about it and I think the
[3:15:43] general theme that I get from people my
[3:15:44] age, people in this area is that like
[3:15:47] people just don't feel heard, it's
[3:15:51] nothing I say is going to matter
[3:15:52] anyways, they're going to chase the
[3:15:53] money, they don't care, everything is
[3:15:54] just about the money I feel like we
[3:15:56] have an opportunity toInspire people
[3:16:00] like Katie, it does matter, you can go
[3:16:01] out, What you say, what you show up for
[3:16:04] it does matter.But that's not going to
[3:16:07] happen if we justKeep ignoring people.
[3:16:11] Okay, thanks.
[3:16:12] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:16:21] >>I am Jennifer Smith. I did enjoy the
[3:16:25] gentleman talking aboutAn increase in
[3:16:31] noise and wonderful data centers. I
[3:16:34] take a dozen live in my neighborhood. I
[3:16:35] am at the end of the cul-de-sac, I
[3:16:38] didn't recognize our house, SoI'm kind
[3:16:42] of taking thePick sure that the
[3:16:45] information providingAs potentialsWhat
[3:16:48] if's, Maybe flexible, Future needAnd
[3:16:57] there's no set guidelines, you all put
[3:17:00] more guidelines on homeowners
[3:17:02] remodeling their homes then you have
[3:17:03] withThese. Why are we held to a higher
[3:17:07] standardFor less impactThen a
[3:17:12] billion-dollar corporation?That's just
[3:17:17] mind blowing. People stood up and told
[3:17:18] you all kinds of reasonsTo deny this,
[3:17:21] to say no, they gave you plenty of
[3:17:22] evidence, some people had degrees, I
[3:17:23] don't, but I lived there.I know the
[3:17:27] noise. I use an app called (INAUDIBLE)
[3:17:33] to listen to the birds. 22 birds in my
[3:17:34] neighborhood one day.You think I'm
[3:17:37] going to hear that once that starts?
[3:17:41] How many years of construction?It's 81
[3:17:48] Traffic. I don't hear the truck stop. I
[3:17:49] don't hear that. Maybe the traffic
[3:17:51] sometimes, but I don't hear it.What
[3:17:53] they're talking aboutIs not definite,
[3:18:00] there's no definite to what they're
[3:18:01] giving you, they're not giving you the
[3:18:02] information. There's articles all over,
[3:18:03] you can get your information there,
[3:18:04] Virginia is losing$1.8 billion to data
[3:18:08] centers because the benefits they get.
[3:18:13] It is not coming back to us. If you say
[3:18:14] yes to this, all you're doing is
[3:18:16] getting money from them and forcing the
[3:18:17] cost on usAnd not taking responsibility
[3:18:21] for it because you didn't raise taxes.
[3:18:23] That's what's happening. You will raise
[3:18:26] our electricity, you will cause water
[3:18:27] shortages, you guys can look at your
[3:18:28] website, how many times have you put
[3:18:30] droughtAffectAnd warnings, lower your
[3:18:36] water usage to 50%, 25 for businesses,
[3:18:39] are they going to lower their water
[3:18:40] usage?What if they need more in the
[3:18:42] future?Once you say yes there is no
[3:18:45] saying no. You think they're going to
[3:18:48] care if you're fine?FindingAffects the
[3:18:51] people you find the homeowner, Finding
[3:18:56] doesn't affect the billion dollar
[3:18:57] corporation.Okay? That's Penny's.
[3:19:01] Penny's.They can do whatever they want.
[3:19:06] They can make all the promises they want
[3:19:11] With (INAUDIBLE). That's unfair to us,
[3:19:12] if you can't come with definite Skype
[3:19:13] you can't come withThe fact that there
[3:19:26] is no evidence, if you're not looking
[3:19:27] to do your due diligence, say no. It
[3:19:28] doesn't meet our comprehensive plan. Do
[3:19:36] a new conference a plan. Set strict
[3:19:37] guidelines. Allow us to have a voice.
[3:19:38] This is not what we want.
[3:19:39] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:19:40] >>Thank you.
[3:19:49] >>Ron Harrison followed by Lisa Frank.
[3:19:50] >>Good evening, Ron Harrison, Joni
[3:19:51] district. Let me say at the outsetI am
[3:19:54] not against rezoning. In fact I'm in
[3:19:58] favor of it in certain instances, for
[3:20:00] example, I would like to address
[3:20:03] missing middle housingFor some rezoning
[3:20:08] to allow higher density housing because
[3:20:09] that brings value to the community. It
[3:20:12] helps solve a crisis that we have in
[3:20:13] our community.That's important.When it
[3:20:18] comes to rezoning, I would like to
[3:20:19] point out an articleIn Wall Street
[3:20:20] Journal today. It pointed out that
[3:20:26] according to the JPMorgan study that
[3:20:27] was done a month ago60%Of the data
[3:20:30] centers expected to come onlineIn 2027
[3:20:36] Have yet to be startedAnd another 7%Are
[3:20:40] being delayed. Now if I remember my
[3:20:43] fractions that's two thirdsOf all the
[3:20:46] data centers that are under contract
[3:20:48] right now, They're not even there.And
[3:20:53] you are consideringMaking a zoning
[3:20:55] changeFor something that is years in
[3:20:59] the offing and may never happen.And I
[3:21:03] would like to point this out to you.By
[3:21:07] doing so, you are eliminating the
[3:21:08] opportunityTo do some rezoning for an
[3:21:13] applicant who actually brings value to
[3:21:14] the communityAnd to the County. What am
[3:21:17] I talking about? In the interest of
[3:21:18] full disclosure, I am an Apple
[3:21:21] shareholder.Somebody might say Apple is
[3:21:27] an AI company. Well, they're really
[3:21:28] not, they are the laggard in AI. Because
[3:21:30] Apple is a manufacturer.First and
[3:21:33] foremost.They make stuff that people
[3:21:39] want to buy, it adds value to theirLives
[3:21:45] , That's the kind of company, if you
[3:21:46] want to make a change through rezoning,
[3:21:47] When somebody like an apple comes along
[3:21:49] and alsoThey provide jobs, If you're
[3:21:56] going to make a zoning change, do it
[3:21:57] for the right reasons, not for this
[3:21:59] type of stuff, this is insane.I would
[3:22:02] also like to point outI spent 40 years
[3:22:07] in IT. And I developed a lot of cutting
[3:22:16] edge technology, leading-edge
[3:22:17] technology, I would dare say some of
[3:22:18] the stuff I've been involved inHas
[3:22:19] affected everybody in this room. Okay?
[3:22:21] But I have seen what the consequences
[3:22:26] are. Okay? Sometimes great ideas in the
[3:22:27] technologyDevelopment ends up being a
[3:22:36] disaster. I helped develop the very
[3:22:37] first telemarketing center in the
[3:22:38] United States. It was done so for
[3:22:39] really good reason. It was done because
[3:22:42] it was done for MCI telecommunications,
[3:22:45] a company that change long distance
[3:22:46] service in this country. That became
[3:22:50] part of the telecommunications
[3:22:51] revolution. But I am pretty sure nobody
[3:22:57] likes getting a telemarketing call when
[3:22:58] you're trying to have dinner. So don't
[3:23:00] do it.
[3:23:01] >>Thank you, sir.
[3:23:03] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:23:07] >>Lisa Frank followed by Leslie Spencer.
[3:23:12] >>At evening, folks. My name is Lisa
[3:23:13] Frank, I own a thorough bed breeding
[3:23:14] farmAnd following facility in Stephen
[3:23:19] city, I'm not sure what district that
[3:23:20] is, I am so sorry. I livedIn Frank
[3:23:25] Frederick County for my entire life and
[3:23:26] have 18 years in IT management. I chose
[3:23:37] to build my farm in Frederick County
[3:23:38] and have an intimate understanding of
[3:23:39] the data space including analytics and
[3:23:40] AI and other AI capabilities. In
[3:23:41] addition to the data center issues that
[3:23:42] most everybody here is forAnd has
[3:23:44] already spoken about, what I am gravely
[3:23:47] concerned aboutFor this countyThe
[3:23:51] technology Park designation since this
[3:23:53] is the first oneBeing evaluated under
[3:23:58] such a designation, I am very concerned
[3:24:00] that this designation even exists which
[3:24:03] have no penalties associated with it
[3:24:04] beyondYears of litigation and no
[3:24:07] restitution for property devaluationTo
[3:24:10] adjacent properties. There are no
[3:24:11] immediateFinancial or other penalties
[3:24:14] in the zoning ordinances such as
[3:24:17] mandatory operational shutdown to
[3:24:20] violations of the county guardrails are
[3:24:21] proffers under operational use or even
[3:24:24] mandatory purchase of adjacent
[3:24:27] properties that are impacted seriously.
[3:24:33] Is a former senior federal staff I
[3:24:34] would encourage you to reconsider any
[3:24:35] decision to approve anything under this
[3:24:36] new designation as it is currently
[3:24:39] written. I would encourage you to
[3:24:41] consult with not only County attorneys
[3:24:45] But also personal attorneys to
[3:24:46] understand any risk you may be open to
[3:24:48] should you approve a designation which
[3:24:51] poses such a high risk to your
[3:24:52] constituency, especially with so many
[3:24:54] saying they don't want them here. As
[3:24:57] public servants we serve the people, we
[3:25:01] are not only professionally but
[3:25:02] personally liable for our decisions
[3:25:03] which may seriously impact the health,
[3:25:06] Safety, welfare, and property values of
[3:25:09] our constituency. These data centersOur
[3:25:13] only being proposed in drought stricken
[3:25:15] areas. Why?And why Virginia? Because
[3:25:25] it's cheap and there are no penalties
[3:25:26] for violating citizens sanctity.
[3:25:27] Virginia has the most data center
[3:25:28] developmentOf all states with the
[3:25:29] exception of Texas. Someone else has
[3:25:33] mentioned that that is considerably
[3:25:34] less landmass than Texas. I have
[3:25:36] personal experience of drought related
[3:25:37] issuesOn my farm now let alone having
[3:25:42] to compete with water from animals with
[3:25:43] data centers tapping the same aquifers.
[3:25:46] Data centers are builtTo Lisa Rackspace
[3:25:49] to others, that is how they make their
[3:25:53] money, the company building will not be
[3:25:54] the companyHolding or using it.
[3:25:59] Proffers only govern the building of
[3:26:00] these data centers, not the leasing of
[3:26:04] the Rackspace. Inside the data center
[3:26:05] once it is already built. We keep
[3:26:13] talking audible decibels and gallons in
[3:26:14] electricity and taxes which are
[3:26:15] critical to our citizens for the very
[3:26:16] reasons already shared.I encourage you
[3:26:17] toEncourage others to vote no on this.
[3:26:22] We need to be asking for penaltiesAll
[3:26:25] of these proffers.
[3:26:27] >>Thank you.
[3:26:29] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:26:34] >>Leslie Spencer followed by Joel Faust.
[3:26:38] >>My name is Leslie Spencer, I am from
[3:26:39] Gainsborough. Someone, Just for want to
[3:26:45] say someone told me that sometimes
[3:26:46] officials seem to think that a county
[3:26:47] and not always hereThe citizens and I
[3:26:51] don't agree, but I do try to understand
[3:26:52] what many citizens face in losing their
[3:26:53] precious home. It feels like a
[3:26:57] homebirth the homestead and I
[3:26:58] homeschooled, if ever live near this
[3:26:59] area my life would be affected, I try
[3:27:05] to think and research the most I can
[3:27:06] for my community because if I was about
[3:27:07] to lose all that I loveI would be
[3:27:08] devastated and frozen in fear and
[3:27:11] grief. I would know what to say. We
[3:27:12] need to amendThe area and help protect
[3:27:14] Stonewall, the citizen surveys never
[3:27:18] said this, I read them, theseIdeas
[3:27:22] likely came from the lobbyist and the
[3:27:23] former director. Good evening, thank
[3:27:26] you for your dedication and thank you
[3:27:27] for all the votersFor showing up for
[3:27:30] your County tonight. Frederick County
[3:27:31] deserves clarity, Foresight, and strong
[3:27:35] leadership. As you consider this
[3:27:36] massive project I wantTo pose five
[3:27:40] critical questions. First, do we truly
[3:27:41] know the value of what we are losing?
[3:27:42] Our comprehensive planExpressly states
[3:27:45] that a rotatingRezoning request may be
[3:27:49] turned out even thoughThings are
[3:27:55] addressed. That leaves the power in
[3:27:56] your hands. Not be determined to use as
[3:27:58] a property in the vicinity. Second
[3:28:02] under Virginia Senate Bill 94 just past
[3:28:06] are we properly evaluating the
[3:28:07] cumulative long-term impactsAnd beyond
[3:28:11] the immediate property lines because
[3:28:12] the adjoining areas is our state
[3:28:14] entrance which is an important
[3:28:15] perception kind of, This brings me to
[3:28:20] my third question, what will help
[3:28:21] visitors see, What will you help
[3:28:24] visitors see at the gateway to our
[3:28:25] state, parents will say often for the
[3:28:30] first time look, kids, we are in
[3:28:31] Virginia, this is a part of our legacy
[3:28:32] of care regarding tourismAnd our
[3:28:35] conference a plan says protects us with
[3:28:38] first impressions often set the tone,
[3:28:39] this isWe need to benefit, they will
[3:28:42] come back. This brings me to my third
[3:28:45] question.Sorry, will a 900 MW
[3:28:53] industrial load undermine our County
[3:28:54] Valley and save historical tourism?The
[3:29:02] plan states one plan is converted from
[3:29:03] agricultural use it is likely it will
[3:29:04] never be reclaimed. Our farmersIn their
[3:29:05] securityNeed more support through
[3:29:13] tourism, not less, and now more than
[3:29:14] ever, does this move us towards our
[3:29:15] economic vision or towardsSustainable
[3:29:16] demand for endless energy
[3:29:19] infrastructure, consider the staggering
[3:29:20] scale, this is 900 MW, the CPEs, the
[3:29:23] ValleyUses 265 MW today and our EC
[3:29:30] serves 22 counties with 1150 MW, the
[3:29:34] single use facility is a lowOur local
[3:29:48] grid. It will introduce the heat island
[3:29:49] effect that strains everybody's energy
[3:29:50] bills as well as their watersheds and
[3:29:51] farmlands. This is the time to use SB
[3:29:52] 94. Thank you.
[3:29:53] >>Thank you.
[3:29:54] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:29:55] >>Joel Fallis followed by Darla
[3:29:56] McCreary.
[3:30:09] >>Mr. Chairman, commissioners company
[3:30:10] was Joel thousand 11 Gainsborough
[3:30:11] district. I want to start off by
[3:30:12] thanking this planning commission for
[3:30:13] hearing citizens feedback over the past
[3:30:14] several months expressing concerns and
[3:30:15] firm boundaries for this applicant
[3:30:16] during lastMonths working session and
[3:30:17] here tonight. Also want to thank Mr.
[3:30:18] Pearson for his comments duringThe
[3:30:28] recent session following the session
[3:30:29] regardless of how the community might
[3:30:30] feel about it because if we are to be a
[3:30:31] country governed by the rule of law we
[3:30:32] must follow the laws protections for
[3:30:33] fellow systems whether or not we favor
[3:30:37] their ideas. Principles matter. If I
[3:30:38] had a project that would be unpopular I
[3:30:39] would like the opportunity to makeThe
[3:30:41] case to the best of my ability and let
[3:30:42] it be considered on its merits. That's
[3:30:43] only fair.
[3:30:52] , This applicant has submitted their
[3:30:53] revised application including a
[3:30:54] recurring change from the word noise to
[3:30:55] the word sound. I thought that was cute.
[3:31:01] And it made the best case they can make
[3:31:02] for the project. That is their right.
[3:31:03] And tonight it's our turnOn the record.
[3:31:12] I want to rebut claims this afternoon
[3:31:13] to see what it sounded like out there
[3:31:14] currently on a summer afternoon for the
[3:31:18] folks who have lived there for 10 or 20
[3:31:19] years or more. Let me say first that
[3:31:20] just rolling down the gravel road at a
[3:31:21] crawling 8 to 10 miles an hourMade me
[3:31:23] feel like I was disturbing the peace.
[3:31:25] That's how quiet it felt. I got out of
[3:31:28] my car and turned it off and used a
[3:31:30] basic sound meterOn my phone, With an
[3:31:34] app on my phoneTo measure the
[3:31:37] background noise level.As always
[3:31:41] obviously not professional equipment
[3:31:42] but for simpleBaseline comparison that
[3:31:48] serves the purpose. I checked in a few
[3:31:49] different spots. Concluding the highway
[3:31:50] noise in the distance which gets
[3:31:51] quieter night I saw the wholePolycom mix
[3:32:00] Slide earlier especially when I was
[3:32:01] behind tree line, property lines were
[3:32:02] to be it only ever got above 4500 birds
[3:32:03] chirped nearby or a good breeze was
[3:32:07] rustling in the trees. A slightly louder
[3:32:09] than a refrigerator or a low
[3:32:10] conversation.By comparison,Turn it up,
[3:32:15] a little bit?Okay.My little voice
[3:32:20] machine over there is now giving me a
[3:32:22] measurement, Keep it on.Up a little bit?
[3:32:36] Low 60s.So given the sizeIn the
[3:32:46] additional distance to the dais, your
[3:32:47] hearing somewhere in the ballpark of 60
[3:32:48] dBWhich might not sound like much in
[3:32:50] the context of this room on such a
[3:32:52] little noise sourceBut just listen for
[3:32:55] a moment.Imagine stepping outsideAnd
[3:33:00] hearing this constantlyYou would not,
[3:33:05] you not hear the crickets, any bullfrogs
[3:33:09] , any tree peepers at night because
[3:33:11] this would be the soundtrackDear kids
[3:33:14] playing in the yardEtc.
[3:33:19] >>Thank you very much, sir.
[3:33:23] [ APPLAUSE ]. Be sure to pay bill
[3:33:28] well.
[3:33:29] >>McCreary and that's the last one on
[3:33:33] the list.
[3:33:34] >>Good evening, late evening, it's
[3:33:40] almost 10:30, this is a point of
[3:33:41] reference, I'm number 48 on the sign-up
[3:33:42] list. I think we are getting near the
[3:33:43] end, Thank you so much for your time
[3:33:44] and serving on the planning commission.
[3:33:49] I am Darla McCreary, I am in the back
[3:33:50] Creek District, will be brief. The
[3:33:53] proposed water demand alone provides
[3:33:54] sufficient grounds to deny this
[3:33:56] application. The developer has
[3:33:59] repeatedly stated both of Frederick
[3:34:02] water to the county staff and during
[3:34:03] public hearingsThat a data center uses
[3:34:09] approximately 35,000 gallons of water
[3:34:10] per day, we've heard that, haven't we?
[3:34:16] What has not been made clear is that
[3:34:17] this figure applies per building, not
[3:34:18] per site, with 10 buildings being
[3:34:24] proposed, the total daily demand would
[3:34:25] reach 350,000 gallons of water every
[3:34:26] single day.Although the application and
[3:34:28] proffers acknowledge potential water
[3:34:30] requirements and now propose a cap of
[3:34:33] 120,000 gallons.Gallons per day, excuse
[3:34:37] me, they provide almost no detail
[3:34:40] regarding the system upgrades required
[3:34:41] to deliver that volume of water and
[3:34:44] sewer service to this property without
[3:34:46] a clear feasible and fully funded
[3:34:48] infrastructure planThe proffered Is
[3:34:51] neither credible norEnforceable. Water
[3:35:02] is not an abstract resource, it is
[3:35:03] essential to human health, agriculture,
[3:35:04] wildlife and the long-term
[3:35:05] sustainability of our community.
[3:35:07] Approving a project with such
[3:35:08] extraordinaryAnd adequately addressed
[3:35:12] water demands would place unnecessary
[3:35:13] strainOn a critical public resource.
[3:35:21] Residents throughout the water service
[3:35:22] area as well as those relying on
[3:35:23] private wells as myselfShould be deeply
[3:35:24] concernedAbout future access to clean
[3:35:27] water. The combination of massive daily
[3:35:30] consumption and the discharge of
[3:35:34] chemically laden water into the local
[3:35:35] quarriesAnd the OPEC and our primary
[3:35:38] water sources poses a direct risk to
[3:35:40] the safety, reliability and long-term
[3:35:45] viability of our water supply. It is my
[3:35:47] request that you denyThis application.
[3:35:49] Thank you.
[3:35:51] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:35:52] >>Thank you.
[3:36:04] That completes our list of everyone
[3:36:05] that signed up. Does anyone wish to
[3:36:06] speak who hasn't had the opportunity?
[3:36:14] State your name, district, three
[3:36:15] minutes or less. Her mom, Matthew
[3:36:16] Jackson, I live about 10 miles roughly
[3:36:17] from the proposed site in Clearbrook. I
[3:36:22] have just to give a little background
[3:36:23] on me, I graduated from Henley high
[3:36:24] school, lovely school, Levitt, went
[3:36:28] down to James Madison, got my bachelors
[3:36:29] and Masters in computer science which
[3:36:30] should tell you something about how I
[3:36:32] would probably feel about data centers.
[3:36:39] He is gone now but as he stated
[3:36:40] previously, data infrastructure are
[3:36:41] very important, very big deal.
[3:36:42] Unfortunately,Might be surprised, I am
[3:36:43] very much opposed to this proposal.It
[3:36:47] doesn't make sense for the region, it is
[3:36:49] Speculative at best how longThese data
[3:36:51] centers will be runningAt scale and
[3:36:57] that puts into effect a risk to the tax
[3:36:58] revenue coming in that the entire
[3:37:03] proposal, the pros of this entire
[3:37:04] proposal was tax revenue. But ifThe
[3:37:06] data centers the hyper scale in the AI
[3:37:09] and all that goes away, To use a nice
[3:37:12] term,You won't see that tax revenue
[3:37:17] over the years because that will sit
[3:37:18] empty.I am not trying to fear Monger, I
[3:37:23] certainly understand you all are taking
[3:37:24] in a lot of data, I'm hearing from a
[3:37:30] lot of people and sources, so I will
[3:37:31] cut myself off short and say that from
[3:37:32] a technical's perspective even from a
[3:37:33] technical perspective I would be
[3:37:34] opposed to the say noTo this proposal.
[3:37:36] Thank you.
[3:37:39] >>Thank you.
[3:37:40] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:37:45] >>I'm going to do this,On the sign over
[3:37:49] there says 280 to 260. Fire marshal?We
[3:37:52] one person in this room was in favor of
[3:37:56] data centers. My question to you,Take a
[3:38:03] ride, bring lunch, go down to Layton
[3:38:04] County, sit next to a data center, sit
[3:38:05] there for two half hours. Didn't see
[3:38:06] one bird.Didn't see one fox, one
[3:38:11] rabbit, didn't see any animals
[3:38:12] whatsoever.Keep that in mind and how
[3:38:15] these things destroy the area. Thank
[3:38:17] you.
[3:38:18] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:38:25] >>Anybody else?And I shall close the
[3:38:27] public hearing, Mr. Menchu, you care to
[3:38:31] respond any of these comments?
[3:38:34] >>I have one more.
[3:38:35] >>I'm sorry, I have closed it. I've
[3:38:39] close the public hearing.
[3:38:50] >>Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the
[3:38:51] planning commission in public speaking,
[3:38:52] I think it's entered its fourth hour,
[3:38:53] I'm not going to go through and give
[3:38:54] you a longer bottle, we stand by the
[3:38:57] veracity of the application, with that,
[3:39:00] We yelled back the 40 you.
[3:39:03] >>Thank you, sir.
[3:39:04] >>Commissioners, it's our opportunity
[3:39:10] to discuss what we've heard here. I
[3:39:11] looked to my right, any discussions,
[3:39:12] comments?Me, will say something. My
[3:39:15] thoughts and opinionsRight now are
[3:39:18] mainly the fact thatI am not confident
[3:39:22] because ofThere's not enough, There's
[3:39:28] not enough detail there's not enough
[3:39:29] enforceableItems within the proffers
[3:39:31] that we canDick our teeth into and
[3:39:35] enforce it. I'm just not sure what that
[3:39:37] looks like, I personally don't feel
[3:39:40] confidentIn the materials, We have
[3:39:45] enough in here. I will start off with
[3:39:46] that commentAnd then I'll probably come
[3:39:47] back.
[3:39:50] >>Mr. Whitaker?
[3:39:51] >>Yes.In supportOf our beautiful ag
[3:39:56] land that we have hereIn the Valley,
[3:40:00] food is a national security, So I can't
[3:40:06] see having something like this, drains
[3:40:07] or resources and hurts our abilityTo
[3:40:09] produce food. This valley is the size
[3:40:13] of a valley in ChinaAnd maybe one
[3:40:18] billion people. We should not give up
[3:40:19] an inch of it.
[3:40:20] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:40:28] >>Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to
[3:40:29] thank you folks for being here, Your
[3:40:31] good citizens and I want to thankFor
[3:40:37] all the emails I received, I apologize
[3:40:38] for not responding to each one, Because
[3:40:40] I need at least four hours of sleep at
[3:40:41] night, But I will do my bestThe circle
[3:40:44] back around.I have spoken with folksIn
[3:40:48] Loudoun County, Spoken with staffers in
[3:40:51] Fairfax County, I have spoken with a
[3:40:56] lot of you and I have attended many
[3:41:00] Citizens gatherings regardingThe
[3:41:04] center, listen experts on both sides
[3:41:06] and the bottom line isThere are several
[3:41:09] concerns that I have. The first one,
[3:41:12] believe it or not, isThe value of your
[3:41:16] homesHereThe second that theBoard of
[3:41:22] SupervisorsApproves this, I am not
[3:41:26] saying they are, your values drop. The
[3:41:32] second you put a for sale sign on your
[3:41:33] house, you've got to provide the
[3:41:42] material fact that yes, there is going
[3:41:43] to be a data center in my backyard. The
[3:41:44] Council would mind having a data center
[3:41:45] in his backyard. None of us here want
[3:41:46] that. And therefore you're either going
[3:41:49] to be stuck with the house, you're
[3:41:50] going to be underwater, you're going to
[3:41:51] foreclose, there's just a lot of bad
[3:41:54] things when it comes to that. The
[3:41:56] second thing is the noise.And we have
[3:42:05] beat that horse to death, water we beat
[3:42:06] to death and pollution. So those are my
[3:42:07] comments, And so I can't tell you what
[3:42:09] my vote is now, But I want you to know
[3:42:15] the why before I do the how. Thank
[3:42:16] you.
[3:42:17] >>Any other comments?Any comments,
[3:42:19] discussion?Yes, ma'am?
[3:42:27] >>Yes, I mean, I think we need to
[3:42:28] figure outWhat we are doing a little
[3:42:36] bit, I don't think we know enough about
[3:42:37] all of this, like Liz was saying, we
[3:42:38] have one tiny little data center in
[3:42:39] Middletown, correct?And then to go from
[3:42:41] one to10, 12 more, 1011 more, however
[3:42:47] many,I think we have a lot moreStudy we
[3:42:53] need to do on it and there's too many
[3:42:56] concerns and I thinkThe public has
[3:42:59] really brought out a lot of thatAnd
[3:43:02] they have been very eloquently and
[3:43:04] knowledgeable in that and I think we
[3:43:07] need to take those concerns to heart.
[3:43:09] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:43:16] >>I just want toRepeat what some other
[3:43:23] commissioners of said. First of all,
[3:43:24] thank you for being here and the
[3:43:25] involvement that I've seenThroughout,
[3:43:31] it's been six weeks, two months of
[3:43:32] citizen involvement in the information
[3:43:33] that I received from for citizens and
[3:43:34] the passion that I saw, the commitment
[3:43:35] to our economyIs, it makes you proud to
[3:43:40] be here. So thank you for that
[3:43:41] participation. I will say also thatWe
[3:43:48] want to have companies come to us, we
[3:43:49] want to have businesses here, and I
[3:43:50] appreciateYou coming here. Let me say
[3:43:54] to a more personal note I worked with
[3:43:55] Mr. macho is a delegateWhen I was on
[3:43:56] the school board and I give him much
[3:43:58] respect and support. He is an honest man
[3:44:04] And I appreciate his representation to
[3:44:05] us during that period of time.But with
[3:44:10] that being said, I think there's much
[3:44:11] more that we need to learnAndTo protect
[3:44:16] our county is what our job is.
[3:44:20] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:44:22] >>Mr. Martin?
[3:44:26] >>Yes, I think theReward that comes
[3:44:30] with the data centerIs not quite worse
[3:44:34] the risk and it's not quite worth the
[3:44:36] intrusion.And on top of that, the
[3:44:41] locationOf our ValleyDoesn't makeLogic,
[3:44:49] Logical senseFor a data centerAnd the
[3:44:55] other part of locationIsNear peopleIs a
[3:45:00] problem.So we need to deal withA setback
[3:45:10] that's a whole lot bigger than what we
[3:45:11] are dealing with.So as a community, As
[3:45:14] a board, We need to come up with better
[3:45:17] guardrailsRegardless of the outcomeOn
[3:45:22] this project.
[3:45:30] >>One more note, Development, we are
[3:45:33] not against, Development is going to
[3:45:38] happen, it's just the right
[3:45:39] development, the right timeAnd with
[3:45:41] this project not beingIn conformance,
[3:45:48] like it's in general conformance with
[3:45:49] the conference of plan, generally. This
[3:45:50] project, the scaleNeeds to be a
[3:45:52] slamdunk and we're just not there yet.
[3:45:54] So again,It's not in conformance.
[3:45:57] >>Thank you.
[3:45:59] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:46:04] >>I would also like to thank you for
[3:46:05] being here tonight, You've stayed here
[3:46:07] it's almost 11 o'clock. I realize the
[3:46:10] seats get hard after 8 o'clockAnd I
[3:46:15] commend you for hanging in there, your
[3:46:16] concern for Frederick CountyAnd it's
[3:46:19] condition and wanting to maintain
[3:46:23] quality of life that we all enjoy and
[3:46:24] came here forIs admirable and I want to
[3:46:27] certainly commend you on that. I agree
[3:46:32] with comments commissioners, I just
[3:46:33] don't thinkWe are well prepared for a
[3:46:36] project of this size at this point.I
[3:46:42] advocated, begin educating six months
[3:46:43] ago for us to come up with policy
[3:46:44] statements dealing with data centers
[3:46:45] and I promise you I will continue to
[3:46:47] work on thatWith the board and advocate
[3:46:54] for that, it's hard for us to make
[3:46:55] changes to the rules when we are in the
[3:46:56] middle of the rezoning.That's the
[3:46:57] challenge that we have.So this one will
[3:47:01] move forward andWe'll see how the Board
[3:47:05] of Supervisors responds to it. So this
[3:47:09] is in the Stonewall district, so I'll
[3:47:12] call on my Stonewall Commissioner to
[3:47:15] Make a motion.
[3:47:21] >>Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First I
[3:47:22] would like to think everybody here
[3:47:23] tonight taking time out of your
[3:47:25] schedules and from your family to come
[3:47:26] participate and be part of this.Those
[3:47:29] of you who came to the information
[3:47:36] session, those who sent us emails,
[3:47:37] thank you, stay engaged. I would also
[3:47:38] like to thank the applicant, the team
[3:47:40] through the process is been willing to
[3:47:41] engage with staff and commissioners and
[3:47:44] residents can answer questions and
[3:47:45] respond to concerns and make changes to
[3:47:50] Their proposal and I think that type of
[3:47:51] work together is important. I think our
[3:47:56] County benefits from the mix of land
[3:47:57] use, residential neighborhoods,
[3:47:58] commercial development, agricultural
[3:48:00] Operations. Each of these contributes
[3:48:02] to the economicVitality in the
[3:48:05] community we live in, The challenge
[3:48:08] before usIt is not does this have value
[3:48:13] but how do we mitigateWhen those land
[3:48:20] uses come together. That is the
[3:48:21] challenge here for us tonight. I
[3:48:22] appreciate the benefits of this project
[3:48:26] , But in its current form I don't
[3:48:27] believe that the application
[3:48:28] sufficiently mitigates the potential
[3:48:29] impacts to the neighboring residential
[3:48:30] uses.There's too many noise questions
[3:48:34] and the buffers don't seem adequate for
[3:48:38] this highly intensive data center campus
[3:48:39] That's scope and scale isn't properly
[3:48:44] mitigated. Therefore a move to recommend
[3:48:53] For the Virginia technology part.
[3:48:54] >>We have a motion. As her second?
[3:48:55] >>We have a motion and a second. Getting
[3:48:56] further discussion? Minister Whitaker,
[3:48:59] let me pause. The motions for denial,
[3:49:00] if you vote yes you are agreeing that
[3:49:02] you want to recommend denial. If you
[3:49:06] vote no you're saying no, I don't want
[3:49:07] denial. We are? Mr. Whitaker, can you
[3:49:09] begin, please?
[3:49:11] >>Yes to denial.
[3:49:13] >>Yes.
[3:49:16] >>Yes.
[3:49:17] >>Yes.
[3:49:18] >>Yes.
[3:49:19] >>Yes.
[3:49:20] >>Yes.
[3:49:22] >>Yes.
[3:49:23] >>Yes.
[3:49:27] >>The chair votes yes and the motion
[3:49:28] carries.This will go to the
[3:49:29] [ APPLAUSE ]
[3:49:50] This will go to the Board of
[3:49:51] Supervisors on July 8 with a
[3:49:52] recommendation for denialAnd we need to
[3:49:54] do anything else?
[3:49:57] >>No, Mr. Chairman, just a reminder,
[3:50:00] June 9, data center.
[3:50:05] >>Next Tuesday.
[3:50:06] >>June 17,Data session, work session
[3:50:14] with the Board of Supervisors. Thank
[3:50:15] you, Mr. chair.
[3:50:16] >>Glad to entertain a motion for
[3:50:17] adjournment.
[3:50:18] >>So move.
[3:50:19] >>Second? You guys be careful going
[3:50:20] home.
[3:50:21] >>Residents, I still need
[3:50:22] signatures.