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Serverfarm is seeking Fairfax County zoning exceptions to convert two existing office buildings and a parking garage at 7980 and 7990 Quantum Drive into a 316,000-square-foot data center called Vienna Cloud.

The proposal comes as Fairfax County applies stricter data-center standards adopted in 2024. The project does not meet several of those requirements, including rules concerning proximity to Metro stations, building area and buffers near residential neighborhoods.

The site is 0.9 miles from the entrance to the Tysons Corner Metro station. County rules require data-center buildings to be at least one mile from Metro station entrances.

Serverfarm also wants to expand the gross floor area of both buildings. One would increase from 80,256 to 95,014 square feet, while the other would grow from 202,500 to 221,214 square feet. The proposal also does not meet the county’s 200-foot buffer requirement for data-center buildings near residential areas.

The project would include 28 diesel generators in a generator yard at the back of the property. Nature Forward conservation advocate Renee Grebe said the proposal could set a precedent for how the county’s data-center standards are applied.

“This is really precedent-setting in terms of what the decision is going to be,” Grebe said.

Grebe also raised concerns about the project’s potential effects on nearby residents and a sports field, saying “residents will be getting 24 hours of noise pollution and 28 diesel generators next to residences and a nearby sports field.”

“If this gets passed, then I think it demonstrates that our zoning ordinance amendment is not as strong as it was touted to be by our board of supervisors,” Grebe said.

The applicant’s attorney, Jill Parks, described the proposal as a “completely modernized, architecturally refined, state-of-the-art office/data center.” Parks also said that at least one aspect of the county’s requirements was “not mechanically feasible.”

The development plan calls for a sidewalk along Kidwell Drive, a trail providing access to an athletic field and a new playground. The applicant says the project would help Serverfarm meet growing demand for data-center capacity.

The project still requires Fairfax County approvals. A community meeting is also being planned.