COMMENTARY: The six data centers in my quiet, pristine town

Reston, Virginia, known as America’s premier, master-planned community, seems an odd place to be quite comfortable with six data centers.

The picturesque community is 22 miles outside of Washington. Through its master plan, it has long shunned manufacturers and any activity that in the remotest way pollutes, is noisy or unsightly. Yet, Reston’s acceptance of six data centers within its 16 square miles offers lessons for towns considering permitting them and shows why the current opposition to these facilities is often widely overblown.

Having lived in Reston for 27 of the past 30 years and been active in the community of more than 60,000, I have never once heard anyone complain about these facilities. Simply put, there is next to zero controversy surrounding them.

Restonians, to be sure, will rise up whenever they see threats to the community, which has been designed with zealous respect for the environment. Reston is replete with man-made lakes and extensive and well-maintained walking paths.

The citizenry is also aware of political action. Proposals to develop a golf course and a casino have led to fierce pushback and so far have been successfully fought.

Many residents work for the federal government and federal contractors, making it as blue as any suburb. A No Kings Saturday means many Restonians will be out in force demonstrating.

I recently toured the outside areas of the six data centers. Every one of them was operating quietly; there were no plumes, and each facility blended in well with the surroundings in designated business areas.

In several cases, the parking lots had few cars because the building had been repurposed from other commercial use. And there is construction at one of the facilities, something that has been widespread throughout Reston for the past decade.

Three of the facilities are owned by CoreSite and are on campuses adjacent to other businesses. In 2024, Data Center Magazine reported that one of the facilities, VA3, was the ninth-largest data center in the world.

This facility is undergoing construction to expand its size by more than 30 percent to 1.3 million square feet, which has led to some community opposition. However, it is far from the sustained, dramatic opposition that has accompanied other data center proposals nationwide and other political issues in Reston.

The three non-CoreSite facilities are separate, lengthy two- to four-story structures set among other commercial buildings. Their neighbors include an ice hockey rink, a large dry cleaner, a pediatric therapy facility and other office buildings.

The outsides of all the data centers are clean and well-maintained. Buildings that previously had other commercial purposes have aesthetically pleasing window coverings. That is to be expected in Reston — get the wrong roof or an incorrect outside light, and you incur the wrath of the Reston Association.

There are several lessons for towns to learn from Reston’s data center experience.

First, towns should be open to them. Data centers make sizable property tax payments that help fund public schools and should be used to lower, or at least curtail, increases in residents’ taxes. They provide good-paying construction and other trade jobs for town residents. Data centers can blend into a town or, if located away from everything, operate without even remotely disturbing the quality of life.

Second, communities should respect and work with the data center developers. Companies making major investments in data centers want to be part of a community for a long time. If that means they have to adjust the look and feel of a building, or face rigorous, respectful questions from town leaders and the public, they will do so.

Third, integrate data centers with overall town planning. That has worked well in manufacturing-averse Reston. If a town lacks a good plan for the future, the sizable tax revenues from a data center can be the catalyst for a better plan and a better community. Data centers are also a godsend for many abandoned industrial sites.

Fourth, reject the fear and demagoguery. Town leaders considering large data centers should go to communities such as Reston, where they operate, and see for themselves what is going on.

Optimism and open-mindedness have always been essential to the American experience. It should be at the center of our view of AI and of data centers proposed for towns. By looking at facts and facilities firsthand, true leadership will be exercised and wise decisions made.

Paul Steidler is a senior fellow with the Lexington Institute, a public policy think tank in Arlington, Va. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.