Loudoun County Planning Commission Work Session – February 12, 2026

The Loudoun County Planning Commission held a work session on February 12, 2026, in Leesburg, Virginia. The Commission approved the previous work session minutes, received disclosures of applicant meetings, and considered three land-development work items: Quantum Park, Valley Commerce Center, and the NOVEC-Deimos Substation. The Commission voted to forward the first two applications to the Board of Supervisors with recommendations of approval and deferred action on the substation to a future work session.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of the January 8, 2026, Planning Commission Work Session were approved 8-0-1, with Commissioner Jasper absent.

Disclosures

• Commissioners disclosed pre-meeting contacts with applicants. Commissioner Combs reported a February 9 meeting regarding Valley Commerce Center; Commissioner Miller reported meetings regarding both Quantum Park and Valley Commerce Center; Commissioner Frank reported meetings with Quantum Park and Valley Commerce Center representatives; Commissioner Banks reported text contact with a Valley Commerce Center representative; and Chair Kears reported meetings with both Quantum Park and Valley Commerce Center representatives. No conflicts were declared.

Quantum Park (LEGI-2023-0097 / ZCPA-2023-0008)

• Staff described a zoning concept plan amendment for the Quantum office campus north of Loudoun County Parkway, south of Waxpool Road in the Broad Run election district. The proposal would allow a data center, substation, and office use, and is grandfathered under the revised 1993 zoning ordinance that permits data centers and transmission substations without a special exception.
• Since the November 2025 work session, the applicant had dedicated right-of-way for future Lockridge Road, reduced the proposed data center height from 100 feet to 75 feet, committed to a GIS substation, and improved screening and architectural elevations. During the meeting, Commissioner Frank requested and the applicant agreed to reduce the overall building height to 65 feet.
• Staff discussed a prior proffer requiring three traffic signals along Loudoun County Parkway. Signal 3 is installed, signal 1 is in design, and a bond exists for signal 2, though staff did not anticipate that this application would trigger signal 2. Staff recommended a fair-share contribution toward the future Lockridge Road/Loudoun County Parkway signal; the applicant submitted a written commitment of up to $20,000, with the final amount to be determined with DTCI.
• The applicant explained that the substation could not be moved to a rear parking area because Verizon holds exclusive lease rights to that secure parking area. The applicant said the substation was pushed back as far as possible and would be fully screened.
• Commissioner Myers expressed disappointment that a substation would be placed at the front of a signature corporate campus, but the motion to forward the application to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval passed 7-1-1, with Commissioner Myers opposed and Commissioner Jasper absent.

Valley Commerce Center (LEGI-2023-0080 / ZMAP-2023-0008 / ZMOD-2023-0041)

• Staff presented a 117-acre application located in the northeast quadrant of Percival Road and Leesburg Pike, adjoining the town of Purcellville in the Purcellville Joint Land Management Area. The application includes a zoning map amendment and a zoning modification to eliminate certain road, water, and wastewater standards.
• Staff continued to recommend denial, citing inconsistency with the Purcellville JLMA place type, land use and development pattern guidance, potential impacts to adjacent residential neighborhoods, and a reasonable potential to affect off-site residential water availability. Staff also noted outstanding issues involving the Purcellville North Collector Road connection, traffic, the loggerhead shrike habitat, heritage resources, and proffer administration.
• The applicant said it had reduced density to 986,000 square feet, reduced building heights to 32 feet along the western side and 40 feet along the eastern side, added a $500,000 traffic signal contribution, a Mayfair left-turn lane, a right-in/right-out entrance, construction traffic management, and a 300,000-square-foot warehousing/storage restriction to limit water demand.
• The applicant’s hydrogeologist testified that off-site well impacts are not expected, based on pumping tests and a county-reviewed hydrogeologic study. He said the state would cap the proposed well’s permitted production below the tested rate, making the use more regulated than 39 by-right residential wells and septic systems.
• Commissioner Combs asked for comparable water-use metrics; the applicant cited approximately 0.002 gallons per square foot per day for long-term storage, 0.12 for light manufacturing, and 0.235 for flex uses.
• Commissioner Miller asked about protecting the wooded area shown in staff figure 7. The applicant agreed to remove building envelopes from that area and treat it as a tree save/no-build area rather than a formal tree conservation area, with staff to review the language.
• Motion by Commissioner Miller, seconded by Commissioner Banks, to forward the application to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval passed 6-2-1, with Commissioners Barnes and Frank opposed and Commissioner Jasper absent.

NOVEC-Deimos Substation (LEGI-2024-0059 / CMPT-2024-0010)

• Staff presented a commission permit for a 26-acre property at the northwest corner of Belmont Ridge Road and Arcola Mills Drive in the Little River election district. The property is zoned industrial park and is currently used as a construction staging area.
• Staff said the applicant increased the proposed screen wall from 12 feet to 16 feet and placed it on a six-foot berm, achieving an effective screening height of about 20 feet. The applicant offered three facade design options: earth-tone masonry, a design matching the adjacent data center, and a residential/Brambleton-style design.
• Staff recommended approval pending commission guidance on the screen wall design. One public comment raised concerns about visual impact and perceived health and safety effects due to the substation’s proximity to a daycare south of the site.
• The applicant said it had responded to December 18, 2025, concerns by raising the wall, adding landscaping, and preserving existing trees. The applicant stated that a GIS substation is not feasible for NOVEC at this time.
• Several commissioners noted that the 16-foot masonry wall was proposed only along the two road frontages, with a six-foot board-on-board fence elsewhere. Commissioner Myers moved to defer the application to a future work session to review the option-three facade and possible 12-foot or 16-foot wall treatments around the remaining sides; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Motoretti and passed 8-0-1, with Commissioner Jasper absent.

Briefing of February 24, 2026, Public Hearing Items

• Staff previewed three future public hearing items. The first was a Duval special exception request for a private driveway crossing steep slopes and sensitive soils on Tree Crops Lane; staff has no outstanding issues. Commissioner Myers noted the property is in a conservation easement and that no alternative driveway placement is feasible.
• The second item was a Dominion Energy substation extension near Cross Trail Boulevard and the W&OD Trail, requiring special exceptions to establish the substation use in a JLMA district, reduce the parking ratio, and eliminate buffers between substations. Commissioners asked about reforesting areas where mature trees would be removed.
• The third item was a Fleetwood Road Child Care Center special exception request north of Route 50 and east of Route 15. The proposal includes a 3.97-acre parcel, a 10,000-square-foot facility, a 727-square-foot outdoor play area, a sign development plan, and up to 167 children. Staff raised concerns about size and scale, compatibility with the transition large-lot neighborhood place type, screening, and the need for a left-turn lane on Fleetwood Road. Staff recommended limiting the center to 100 children and addressing site access.

Administrative Items

• Chair Kears notified the Commission that he had emailed Planning Commission leadership requesting the annual strategic planning meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes approved 8-0-1.
• Quantum Park forwarded to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval, a 65-foot height cap, traffic signal fair-share commitment, and off-site trail/reforestation commitments; vote 7-1-1.
• Valley Commerce Center forwarded to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation of approval, including the tree save/no-build area condition; vote 6-2-1.
• NOVEC-Deimos Substation deferred to a future work session to review revised wall treatment options; vote 8-0-1.