A statewide march demanding a halt to new data center construction kicks off Saturday, Oct. 10, in Alexandria, with organizers targeting a planned facility that has drawn opposition from thousands of Northern Virginia residents.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund (CCAN) organized the "March for a Moratorium," a two-week series of marches across Virginia calling for a ban on new data center development. The first stop begins with a rally at Aslin Beer Company at 847 S. Pickett St. in Alexandria, according to Patch. Marchers will then walk to the planned Plaza 500 data center site on nearby Edsall Road.

The debate matters in Reston. An existing data center at the Lake Fairfax Business Center, built in 2001, sits about 100 feet from a proposed residential area in a major redevelopment plan. The Fairfax County Planning Commission deferred a vote on that project Sept. 23, with commissioners stressing the need to monitor data center noise before homes go up nearby. The 200-foot buffer required under 2024 county regulations does not apply to existing data centers.

The Plaza 500 project, a 34-acre development by Starwood Capital Group at 6299 Edsall Road in Lincolnia, has drawn opposition for four years from the Save Bren Mar Coalition and surrounding residents. Because of how the site is zoned, data centers can be built there without public hearings or a full Board of Supervisors vote. Opponents say the facility and a planned electrical substation would sit less than 100 feet from some homes.

Thousands of residents, a Virginia congressman, the city of Alexandria and some Fairfax County supervisors have asked the county to deny the substation permit. A public planning commission hearing on the substation, originally scheduled for September, has been postponed until December.

The march comes as pressure builds across the region. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed Executive Order 22 on Sept. 18, creating a broad data center accountability package, Patch reported. The order bans nondisclosure agreements for data center projects, eliminates by-right local approvals for facilities using more than 25 megawatts of power and removes data centers from the state's fast-track permitting process. Spanberger stopped short of a full moratorium.

CCAN wants more. Victoria Higgins, the group's director, said on Sept. 18 in response to Spanberger's framework, "We must stop the madness and issue an immediate pause on approvals until these protections – and more – are fully implemented," as reported by the Virginia Mercury.

State Sen. Glenn Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, has also called for a statewide moratorium. He wrote on X on Oct. 1 that data centers will cause 90% of Virginia's electricity demand growth.

@GlenSturtevant: "This is why I've been calling for a Data Center Moratorium in Virginia. Even the Governor acknowledges that data centers will cause 90% of our electricity demand growth. 90 percent!"

Fairfax County has between 3 million and 4 million square feet of data center space, Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said in August. McKay said residents expect fair rules when it comes to data center impacts. But Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall said Virginia localities lack the statutory authority to enact a moratorium or outright ban, and can only use land-use powers to negotiate terms, FFX Now reported.

Neighboring Loudoun County, the epicenter of Data Center Alley, moved in September to consider amendments that would curb data center development and end by-right approvals, the Virginia Mercury reported.

FFX Now reported that data centers could become a key issue in 2027 local elections, when all 10 Fairfax County Board of Supervisors seats will be on the ballot.

The Fairfax County Planning Commission's next hearing on the Plaza 500 substation is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 2.