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Fairfax County supervisors have unanimously approved the sale of 41.7 acres at a Chantilly police training campus to a data center developer, despite objections over environmental risks and the county’s handling of the deal.
The Board of Supervisors voted 9-0 without discussion on Tuesday, March 17, to sell the land at 3721 Stonecroft Blvd. to Starwood Capital Group, operating as SCG Capital Holdings LLC.
Starwood offered $166.8 million for the property, which is part of the Fairfax County Police Department’s 128-acre training facility south of Dulles International Airport and west of the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
County officials intend to use the proceeds to redesign and modernize police training facilities on the remaining 86.2 acres.
The transaction would not automatically clear the way for a data center. Starwood would still need to secure the required zoning approvals through the county’s standard review process.
Residents Challenge the Deal
Supervisors did not explain their votes during the meeting, but residents and advocacy organizations spent about 40 minutes arguing both sides of the proposal.
Environmental advocates warned that another data center could worsen emissions and other effects on nearby communities.
“Swapping human health for revenue is not a tradeoff we want to make,” said Renee Grebe, Nature Forward’s Northern Virginia conservation advocate.
Ting Waymouth, Northern Virginia organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, urged the county to give greater weight to climate and emissions concerns when evaluating land sales.
Douglas Stewart, chair of the Virginia Sierra Club’s Great Falls Group, focused on what he described as inadequate public notice. The county first announced the proposed sale on Feb. 11, shortly before supervisors were scheduled to authorize a public hearing, even though Deputy County Executive Jennifer Miller had signed a letter of intent outlining Starwood’s offer on June 20, 2025.
Stewart said a sale could ultimately be reasonable, but only after a public process that examines the benefits, drawbacks, alternative uses and competitive offers.
Other speakers supported the transaction. Chantilly resident George Landrith called it a rare chance to improve public safety while using taxpayer resources responsibly.
“Better facilities mean better training, and better training ultimately means greater safety for both our officers and the public they serve,” Landrith said.
Opponents also cautioned that the county would permanently surrender a valuable public asset.
“Once it’s sold, we don’t get it back,” David Browning said. “This land exists to serve the public, not private industry.”
Police Training Overhaul Planned
The county does not expect to complete the sale before spring 2027. Design and permitting for the revamped police campus are scheduled to begin this spring, with construction on the retained Stonecroft property planned from 2028 through 2031.
Current plans call for a new emergency-vehicle driving track, a modern firearms training center and firing ranges, support buildings and upgraded site infrastructure.
A new Criminal Justice Academy, financed separately through the county’s Capital Improvement Program, is also planned for the campus.
Fairfax County said consolidating the facilities would lower long-term maintenance expenses and improve instruction for recruits and current officers. Temporary training space could be leased if necessary, and officials do not anticipate major disruptions to police training.
After the sale, the parcel and any commercial operations developed there would become taxable. The county projects that annual tax revenue would begin at approximately $20 million and grow over time.
The site is surrounded by industrial properties and other data centers. County officials said the closest existing homes are more than half a mile away, while the nearest school is about 1.3 miles from the property.
According to the county, London-based private investment firm Starwood submitted an unsolicited offer. The county then commissioned an appraisal and contacted other prospective developers. Officials said Starwood’s bid exceeded the appraised value.
Environmental Group Warns of Cumulative Impact
The Sierra Club’s Great Falls Group condemned both the decision and the supervisors’ silence in a statement released the following day, saying the process damaged public trust.
The organization warned that more Sully District land is being consumed by the data center industry, whose energy and water demands have drawn increasing scrutiny from residents and state and local lawmakers.
In 2025, county supervisors approved new Dominion Energy substations to serve the Dulles Gateway and Renaissance Technology Park data centers under construction in Herndon, east of Dulles Airport. Starwood is developing the Renaissance project for Amazon Web Services.
The Great Falls Group said more than 8,000 diesel-powered generators have been approved for data centers in western Fairfax County, with nearly 20% authorized for non-emergency use.
The group argued that pollution does not stop at community boundaries and accused county leaders of failing to consider the cumulative health effects of the region’s expanding data center infrastructure as part of the Stonecroft transaction.