Warrenton, VA (March 16, 2023) – Whiteford, Taylor & Preston L.L.P. (WTP) filed suit today in Fauquier County Circuit Court on behalf of ten individual plaintiffs and Citizens for Fauquier County (CFFC) to overturn the Town of Warrenton’s approval of an Amazon data center slated to be built at the eastern gateway to the town. Warrenton’s town council approved the special use application for this data center on February 14, 2023 despite near unanimous public opposition.
The ten individual plaintiffs have serious concerns about the data center’s noise, vibration and related health effects; harsh lighting from it and the proposed electrical substation; the loss of value in their homes; and, major disruption during construction. All live either in close proximity to the data center site, the location of the substation near the Wire Factory, or the proposed route of the distribution line that will supply power to the data center. About half of the plaintiffs live within 500 feet of the data center and will see it from their properties, and seven are CFFC members.
According to Kevin Ramundo, President of Citizens for Fauquier County, “This suit recognizes that the town of Warrenton has ignored its own zoning ordinances, its own comprehensive plan, its own legally prescribed processes, and the clearly expressed desires of the vast majority of its citizens in approving this data center.” He added, “This irresponsible decision by the town council threatens to have serious impacts on the health, quality of life and property values of the town’s citizens. Many Warrenton residents are our members and we have been encouraged to pursue litigation to protect the town they care about.”
Dale Mullen, a senior partner at WTP and former county attorney, said, “This case is about requiring government to locate infrastructure in a way that doesn’t harm the investment that hard-working Virginia families
have made in their homes and towns. The citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia need reliable, affordable infrastructure, not just now, but for generations to come. Data centers are an important part of that infrastructure and there are hundreds of locations across the Commonwealth well-suited for data centers and already zoned and ready for that use.”
The Richmond office of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, L.L.P. was retained by CFFC last year in anticipation that legal counsel could ultimately be needed regarding the irregular and improper manner in which the town was handling Amazon’s application to build a data center in Warrenton. The firm, which employs over 190 lawyers across 17 offices nationally, represented CFFC in its initial Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) suit against Warrenton. A notice of appeal was filed on March 9th to the judge’s ruling last month in that action.
To assist in funding the litigation and in response to many requests to contribute to its cost, CFFC has started an on-line fund-raising effort at: https://www.mightycause.com/story/Amazondatacenterwarrenton
Those who prefer to contribute by check should send it to:
Citizens for Fauquier County
PO Box 3486
Warrenton, VA 20188
Contributions may be designated to support the Amazon SUP litigation and are tax deductible as permitted by law.
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