05/10/2026
The Re*****on community open house I had the privilege of attending yesterday felt like a lot more than just a conversation about development.
What became clear very quickly was that this is not only about data centers. For many people, it is about feeling seen, feeling heard, and feeling like their part of Fauquier County matters too. And honestly, that stayed with me.
There was a very real feeling that parts of southern Fauquier have felt overlooked for a long time. And when communities feel overlooked long enough, frustration eventually follows. That should matter to all of us countywide.
Because what is before Fauquier County right now is nothing short of generational decisions. Not temporary ones. Not political ones. Generational ones. The kind that shape the identity, direction, and future of a county long after all of us are gone.
Throughout the day there were conversations about growth, opportunity, housing, data centers, and what people believe is necessary moving forward. There were also comments like, “we’ve got to do something,” and “something has to give.” Those words matter because underneath them is a desire for communities to feel valued, invested in, and included in the future of this county.
Communities wanting opportunity, investment, and a stronger future for their families should never be viewed as wrong. But wanting investment should never mean communities have to accept outcomes other counties now struggle to reverse. That deserves to be heard, not dismissed.
There were also discussions framed around choices like, “Do we want 700 homes or do we want data centers?” Concerns were raised that housing growth could become the alternative if large scale projects are rejected.
That naturally led into concerns about increased traffic, school demand, and the infrastructure required to support that level of housing growth. But it also raised a larger question. Should communities really feel forced into choosing between outcomes they may already be uncomfortable with?
Surely a county as unique as Fauquier is capable of thinking bigger than that.
At the same time, many people are deeply concerned about repeating patterns neighboring counties now live with every day. And history matters here too, because once certain doors open in communities, they rarely close. That is not fearmongering. That is pattern recognition.
Having spent more than 20 years in the technology industry, I also know how quickly technology evolves. I remember the days of the IBM PC and massive mainframe systems that once seemed untouchable and permanent. Today, the phones we carry in our hands are hundreds of times more powerful than many of the systems that once filled entire rooms.
In the early 1980s, Bill Gates believed homes would someday have multiple personal computers. At the time, many people thought the idea was ridiculous.
Technology changes. It always does.
And it raises an important question:
Are we in that same IBM PC stage with data center development, an early phase of something that could look very different ten years from now?
Data center development could be no exception, because even the infrastructure supporting modern technology continues to evolve.
Companies like Panthalassa, a startup backed by Peter Thiel that is developing floating, wave powered data centers, are already exploring concepts that look very different from today’s traditional land based infrastructure. While still in the developmental stage, ideas like this are a reminder of how quickly technology and the infrastructure supporting it can evolve.
Some people naturally ask, if that is true, then why is big tech still spending billions building data centers on land today?
Technology rarely stands still. Industries continue investing heavily in current systems even while developing what may eventually replace or reshape them. The shift from mainframes to personal computers, landlines to smartphones, and physical servers to cloud computing all happened gradually, but technology is always evolving.
Because while technology can shift rapidly, land decisions tend to remain long after the industries driving them evolve.
Walking through Re*****on yesterday, there were churches nearby celebrating 150 years of history, with generations of local families, dedications, and community still woven into them. That history matters. It is a reminder that what we decide today does not just affect us. It affects what remains for the generations that come after us.
Because the real conversation should not simply be whether growth happens. It is whether we are willing to slow down long enough to build a vision that actually fits this county. A vision that creates opportunity without sacrificing identity. A vision that supports communities without turning them into something they never wanted to become. A vision rooted in thoughtful planning, not decisions made out of pressure, urgency, or the fear that we have to trade away the rural character and identity that make Fauquier County worth protecting.
Because once these decisions are made, they do not simply disappear. They become part of the landscape. Part of the identity. Part of the future the next generation inherits from us.
And even if technology someday evolves beyond the need for structures like these, the land use decisions and their long term impacts will still remain.
And now it is time for all of us to roll up our sleeves and work together to make sure we get this right.
That conversation has to include everyone. North and south. Longtime residents and newer residents. Business owners, farmers, families, and community leaders.
Because at the end of the day, most people want the same thing. A future they can be proud of. A county that still feels like home. And something worth protecting for the generations that come after us
