“The County has plenty of money; we don't need more.”

The numbers say otherwise.

Today, 39% of families across Fauquier fall under the "ALICE" threshold: earning too much to qualify for aid, but not enough to actually make ends meet.

At the same time, the county is struggling to fill teacher vacancies, making it harder to retain good educators and maintain quality in our schools. Basic infrastructure, something as straightforward as a single water tower, can take decades to fund.

This isn't a county flush with resources. It's one where families are stretched thin, classrooms are understaffed, and essential projects sit in a funding queue for years.

The question worth asking: is the status quo really working for Fauquier residents?

The reality is right here in Fauquier's own backyard: Fauquier County schools grapple with high teacher vacancies ahead of the first day of school — Fauquier Times

“The project will cause massive flooding.”

By law, developers are required to use erosion, sediment, and stormwater controls to minimize the impacts of runoff, including runoff volume and velocity, soil erosion, sediment discharge, and downstream channel erosion.

In other words, developers must reduce, not increase, stormwater runoff.

Gigaland’s plan includes advanced retention ponds that will actually improve drainage compared to current conditions.

“Gigaland will require new high-voltage power lines.”

Those lines are already being upgraded with or without Gigaland.

Dominion Energy has announced plans to rebuild and upgrade the existing 230 kV transmission lines running between the Marsh Run and Remington substations. This work will take place entirely within the existing right of way; no new right of way is needed. These are the same lines that already cross the Gigaland site.

Gigaland would connect to infrastructure that's already being improved. It wouldn't cause it.

You can find more information here: Dominion Energy — Remington–Marsh Run Project Page.

“Gigaland will raise your power bill.”

No, Gigaland will not raise your electric bill and here's why that claim doesn't hold up.

Electricity rates are rising across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina because Dominion Energy is modernizing its grid.

That's happening regardless of Gigaland.

Every ratepayer, including those in Fauquier, already shares in those costs, and will continue to do so.

Gigaland's allocated power capacity and transmission infrastructure already exist. If the project isn't approved here, Dominion has confirmed that capacity simply gets redirected to Culpeper or Prince William County.

The grid doesn't shrink. The costs don't go away. The economic opportunity just leaves with it.

For years, Fauquier residents have helped fund Dominion's infrastructure upgrades, even when those investments primarily benefited neighboring counties like Loudoun and Prince William. It's reasonable to ask: when does Fauquier see a return on that investment?

The transmission line upgrades running from Marsh Run Substation to Remington Substation are already underway, and they cross directly over Gigaland's proposed site. This project taps into infrastructure that's already coming. It doesn't trigger it.

The choice isn't whether this capacity gets built or used. It's whether Fauquier benefits from it.

“Data centers don’t create jobs.”

Critics say data centers don't bring meaningful employment, but the numbers tell a different story.

According to a report by PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), one of the world's leading global consulting firms, each data center job supports more than six additional jobs in the surrounding business ecosystem. That's a significant multiplier for any community.

And it goes well beyond engineers managing servers.

Data centers depend on a wide network of local businesses and tradespeople to operate day-to-day: electricians, mechanical and water system specialists, security firms, fire protection services, engineering and design teams, telecommunications providers, equipment rental companies, landscapers, snow removal crews, and sustainability consultants, among many others.

These aren't one-time construction hires. They're ongoing, long-term relationships with local businesses.

For Fauquier County, that's a real and lasting economic opportunity. More local jobs. Less commuting. More business for the tradespeople and small businesses already here.

This isn't abstract growth that benefits somewhere else. It's the kind that stays in the county.

"Generators will run 24/7."

Emergency backup generators are just that: backup.

These generators are not part of daily operations. They exist for one purpose: to keep systems running if the main power supply fails.

In practice, their usage is limited to emergencies, testing, and maintenance as regulated by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

The idea that they'd be running around the clock simply isn't how these systems work, and it isn't what the regulations allow.

"Home values will drop."

Home prices in Ashburn have continued to appreciate over time, and recent county assessment data show residential values remained strong even as the area expanded as a major data-center market.

Concerns have been raised by some opponents that developing the Gigaland site could negatively impact nearby home values., but the data tells a clear story.

Rather than depressing home values, proximity to data centers has coincided with robust, sustained appreciation right in the center of what's known as "Data Center Alley."

"Tax rates won't go down."

A misleading narrative has taken hold suggesting that property tax rates in Prince William and Loudoun counties keep climbing in spite of the enormous revenue data centers pump into local coffers.

The facts tell a very different story.

Prince William County reduced its property tax rate from $0.906 to $0.865 per $100 of assessed value. Loudoun County has been on a consistent downward trajectory for the past decade, dropping from $1.205 per $100 of assessed value in 2015 all the way to $0.805 in 2025, representing a reduction of nearly one-third.

Data centers have been central to making these cuts possible, now contributing close to 40% of Loudoun County's total revenue.

"Remington and The Meadows are against Gigaland."

The sole official public forum where Gigaland was discussed was a Planning Commission meeting, and the voices closest to the project spoke in its favor.

Over a dozen residents from Remington and The Meadows, the communities nearest to the proposed development, stepped forward to express their support.

Just one Remington resident spoke against it.

Let that sink in.

By contrast, roughly 99% of the opposition came from people outside the Lee District and in many instances, from outside Fauquier County entirely.

For more, see this piece from the Fauquier Times: Remington residents prefer data centers over houses

"The farmland proffer isn't meaningful."

Some opposition have characterized Gigaland's proffer as vague or inadequate.

In reality, it would represent the single largest contribution ever made to Fauquier County's Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program.

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) has spent years calling for greater PDR investment, making their opposition to a commitment that would permanently protect farmland difficult to reconcile with the very principles they've long championed.

PDRs are, as you know, entirely voluntary, permanent in nature, and free from legal challenge. Every acre protected through this mechanism is shielded from development in perpetuity.

This isn't simply a financial contribution to a program; it's a once-in-a-generation chance to lock in the rural identity of Fauquier County for good.