CloudHQ, a hyperscale data center developer and operator in the United States and Europe, through its entity Vizsla Ventures LLC and via a project named Dulles Berry, is seeking approval from Loudoun County to increase the data center use on its 93-acre site, in the Northern Virginia sub-market of Ashburn, Virginia, up to a maximum of 4.05 million sqft. Additionally, Lammot J. du Pont, co-founder and Chairman of Dupont Fabros Technology (which was sold to Digital Realty), has also been named as an applicant on the Dulles Berry project.
In terms of timing, Loudoun County will evaluate CloudHQ’s proposal at its Board of Supervisors Public Hearing on January 12, 2022. Subsequently, the project’s critical action date is on February 15, 2022.
Dulles Berry – Ashburn, Virginia – Vizsla Ventures – CloudHQ Data Center
CloudHQ’s Dulles Berry site is located at the approximate intersection of Loudoun County Parkway and Shellhorn Road. Specifically, this land parcel is situated north of Shellhorn Road (Route 643) and the Dulles Greenway, south of Waxpool Road (Route 625), east of the Broad Run, and on the east side of Loudoun County Parkway (Route 607).
Notably, this property is surrounded entirely by data centers, both operating and development projects, such as Digital Realty’s facility at Round Table Plaza, STACK Infrastructure’s NVAL2 development, and the Quantum Park campus, which is owned by DigitalBridge’s portfolio company Landmark Dividend.
Zoning Changes
CloudHQ is seeking to increase the data center use on a 93-acre portion of its Dulles Berry site to a maximum of 4.05 million sqft, a 140%+ increase in developable area from currently approved levels. Specifically, CloudHQ is requesting the following:
Zoning Concept Plan Amendment (ZCPA) and Special Exception (SPEX)
CloudHQ is requesting to increase the density on the property from a floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.4, equivalent to 1.67 million sqft, to a FAR of 1.1, resulting in 4.05 million sqft.
Zoning Ordinance Modification (ZMOD)
CloudHQ is seeking to increase the development’s lot coverage from 55%, equivalent to 51.1 acres, to 65%, resulting in 60.4 acres.
Development
Presently, few details are available on CloudHQ’s future data center buildings. However, CloudHQ appears to be planning to construct buildings at a height of 75 feet above ground level on the site.
CloudHQ – Overview
Since inception in 2016, CloudHQ has completed the development of 1.2 million sqft of data center space. Additionally, the company is currently constructing an incremental 1.7 million sqft of data center space. Overall, these facilities comprise 430 megawatts of power capacity across 7 buildings.
Geographically, CloudHQ’s existing and planned data center campuses include Ashburn, Virginia; Manassas, Virginia; Mount Prospect (Chicago), Illinois; London (Didcot), UK; Paris, France; Frankfurt (Offenbach), Germany; and São Paulo, Brazil, amongst other markets.
Ownership
CloudHQ’s principal shareholders include Hossein Fateh (Fateh Family Office), who is the CEO and President of CloudHQ, as well as Keith Harney, the CFO and COO of CloudHQ.