Chantilly, Virginia, October 10, 2025
News Summary
Construction has begun on Chantilly Premier, a fully leased powered shell tied to regional fiber and power, while county planners approved two 300 MW electrical substations to support growing data center demand. One substation, Towerview, will sit on a 3.8-acre parcel near a major road and a data‑center campus; the other, Takeoff, will occupy about 10.2 acres with landscaping and a pond retention plan. A local Chantilly engineering and construction firm also launched a full lifecycle AI and HPC infrastructure suite. The moves underscore infrastructure growth, community concerns, and pending construction timelines.
Chantilly powered shell breaks ground as Northern Virginia readies two 300‑MW substations
CHANTILLY, Va. — Construction has started on a new powered shell data‑center campus in Chantilly after the developer secured construction financing. The project, announced in a press release datelined Oct. 10, 2025, is being delivered as a 100% leased powered shell and benefits from nearby fiber and high‑capacity power connections.
Key developments at the top
The powered shell project moved from planning to site work on or before Oct. 10, 2025, signaling continued momentum in Northern Virginia’s data‑center build‑out. In parallel, county planning authorities have approved two new 300‑megawatt electrical substations designed to meet growing power needs for data centers and other development in the Dulles corridor.
What the project is and where it sits
The Chantilly powered shell is located in Northern Virginia and is being positioned to take advantage of dense fiber‑optic routes and existing power infrastructure. The installation is expected to provide a ready campus for operators who need heavy electrical and network capacity without waiting to build core shells first.
County approvals and substations
At a July planning commission meeting, local authorities approved two separate 300‑MW substations intended to support current and future data‑center demand. The approvals came through a formal review required by state planning codes that tests utility projects for compatibility with the county comprehensive plan. The decisions were final at the commission level under that review process.
The first substation, sited on a 3.8‑acre parcel near Park Center Road and Sully Road, will sit adjacent to a data‑center campus under construction to its south. It is slated to serve nearby technology parks and to carry excess capacity to homes and businesses. Nearby townhouses and community members raised questions about construction impacts, noise and water issues; county staff and the utility described noise controls and set‑backs that will be applied. Construction was slated to begin roughly a year after the planning discussion and to take about 18 months.
The second substation is planned on a mostly undeveloped 10.2‑acre site near Route 50 and Avion Parkway. That site will supply energy to data centers across Avion Parkway and add capacity for other development. Landscaping, noise buffers and a decorative perimeter wall were part of the application and received favorable comment from commissioners. That project advanced with unanimous support from the voting commissioners present.
Community concerns and regulatory steps
Residents near the first substation raised safety and environmental questions and asked that alternatives be considered. County commissioners asked the utility to engage with neighbors during construction and operations and to ensure noise standards are met. One commissioner recused from the votes because of previous professional ties to the utility, a procedural detail disclosed during the hearing.
Both substation proposals were processed under the state review that makes an uncommon exception for utility and government projects to be decided at the planning commission level rather than by the board that typically gets final say on land use matters.
Regional context: build‑out, impacts and trends
The Chantilly move and the substation approvals come amid a broader expansion of data‑center capacity across Northern Virginia. The region has hundreds of data centers, many concentrated in corridors just outside the federal district, and continues to add campuses, shells and utility infrastructure. The growth is driven by surging demand for artificial intelligence and high‑performance computing, which require ultra‑dense power and advanced cooling systems.
Observers and local reporting note that many facilities are large, blocky buildings that can sit near schools, parks, historic sites and housing. That proximity has raised local debates about visual impacts, noise from mechanical systems, strain on water and electricity systems, and whether the costs of new electrical infrastructure are ultimately passed to ratepayers.
Industry response and services
A regional data‑center construction and services firm has recently launched a full lifecycle suite for AI and high‑performance computing projects, emphasizing liquid cooling, modular builds and vendor‑neutral support for advanced, high‑density racks. The company’s offerings aim to deliver end‑to‑end project delivery, maintenance and retrofits for AI‑ready campuses, reflecting industry moves toward 600 kW rack expectations and denser deployments.
Timeline and background
The Chantilly rezoning and permitting process for related projects stretches back several years, with initial project filings and county planning reviews occurring in earlier phases. County rules for future data‑center siting have been updated recently to increase minimum distances from residential properties for newly proposed facilities, though previously approved projects are not retroactively affected.
Bottom line
The start of the Chantilly powered shell, combined with approvals for two large substations, underscores a continuing push to expand power and network capacity in Northern Virginia. The build‑out addresses rising AI and cloud demand but also keeps community impacts, utility planning and infrastructure costs in the spotlight as development continues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Chantilly powered shell?
The Chantilly project is a fully leased powered shell data‑center campus designed to provide prebuilt space with high‑capacity power and fiber infrastructure in Northern Virginia.
When did construction begin?
Construction began on or before Oct. 10, 2025, following the announcement that construction financing had been secured.
What are the Towerview and Takeoff substations?
They are two 300‑megawatt electrical substations approved to support data centers and other development in the Dulles corridor. One sits near Park Center Road and Sully Road on a 3.8‑acre parcel; the other occupies a 10.2‑acre site near Route 50 and Avion Parkway.
Why are substations being added?
Data centers and AI workloads require large, reliable power supplies. New substations add capacity to serve clusters of facilities, help balance local energy needs, and prepare the grid for future growth.
What community concerns have been raised?
Concerns include noise, construction impacts, proximity to homes, water and environmental issues, and whether infrastructure costs affect local energy rates. Utilities and planners have committed to setback, noise control and landscaping measures.
How are data‑center trends affecting the region?
High‑density computing and AI are driving demand for more power, liquid cooling solutions, and fast fiber interconnections. This has led to larger campuses, new utility projects and heightened local planning activity.
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Key features at a glance
| Item | Key details |
|---|---|
| Chantilly powered shell | 100% leased powered shell; construction financing secured; dateline Oct. 10, 2025; connected to fiber and power infrastructure. |
| Towerview substation | 300 MW capacity; 3.8‑acre parcel near Sully Road and Park Center Road; intended to serve nearby data parks and local load; construction ~18 months. |
| Takeoff substation | 300 MW capacity; 10.2‑acre site near Route 50 and Avion Parkway; includes landscaping, 12‑ft wall and pond retention; approved unanimously. |
| Regulatory process | Both projects reviewed under state code provision requiring compatibility with the comprehensive plan; planning commission issued final decisions. |
| Industry services | New full lifecycle AI/HPC offerings emphasize liquid cooling, modular solutions and vendor‑neutral support to meet high‑density rack needs. |
| Regional impacts | Ongoing debate over siting near homes and parks; infrastructure demands on water and power; economic and employment effects are uneven relative to physical footprint. |
Local conditions: Partly cloudy, high near 82°F; overnight low near 62°F.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- The Washington Post: Data centers & artificial intelligence (Virginia) — interactive
- Wikipedia: Data center
- FFXnow: Dominion substations approved to support Dulles-area data centers
- Google Search: Dulles data center substations
- Data Center Frontier: Compu-Dynamics expands infrastructure expertise for the AI era
- Google Scholar: Compu-Dynamics data center AI
- Data Center Dynamics: Fairfax County approves data center in Chantilly, Virginia
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Data center
- NBC Washington: Fairfax County approves plans for data center near mobile-home community
- Google News: Chantilly data center
Author: Construction NY News
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