There's a good chance that the article you are reading right now came to you via Loudoun County.
Every day, 70% of the world’s internet traffic passes through a corridor of data centers in Loudoun County, Virginia. Thirty miles from the heart of Washington, D.C., the county’s 13.5M SF of data center space houses the operations of 3,400 different technology companies. But as Loudoun becomes one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation, local developers are looking beyond the server room.
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A 23-mile extension of the D.C. Metro’s Silver Line is slated to open next year with its final stops within Loudoun County. The county government committed $270M toward the extension past Dulles International Airport, which sits on its eastern border, hoping to entice developers to build commercial enclaves centered around the new transit stations.
So far, the plan has had mixed results. The area around the new Loudoun Gateway station cannot be zoned for residential use because of its proximity to Dulles International Airport, and only one developer has broken ground near the Ashburn station.
New tenants have been easier to come by. Airbus is doubling down on its industrial presence in the county, and Amazon inked a new lease. Google has bought up two plots of land and is making investments in local STEM programs. D.C. United, the capital’s Major League Soccer franchise, opened up a new training facility and has decided to house its reserve team, Loudoun United FC, in Leesburg, the county seat.
With 4.5M SF currently under development, the data center market in Loudoun County remains unparalleled. But if Loudoun County is really going to be known for more than internet hosting, the groundwork will have to be laid in the next few years.
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