With the ominous sounds of server farms and electrical substations already ringing in their ears, residents of this quiet suburban community are now bracing for the latest front in the never-ending data center war. Housing developer Stanley Martin is seeking to turn 270 acres of land into the Devlin Technology Park, a massive complex of up to 14 data centers, because clearly, the world just doesn't have enough of them.
Despite protests, petitions, and pleas for mercy, the project is back on the agenda for the board's Feb 7 meeting, and residents are once again preparing for the worst. Or as they call it, "Tuesday."
At a series of meetings hosted by Stanley Martin Vice President Truett Young, residents expressed their skepticism and anger over the proposed data center complex. Young tried to sell the project with promises of tax revenue and jobs, but residents weren't buying it. They're worried about living next to concrete buildings and electrical substations, and they don't trust the county's zoning ordinance to regulate noise, because let's face it, the county's idea of "quiet" is probably just a slightly lower decibel level of the constant hum of data centers.
Young was unapologetic about Stanley Martin's intentions: "There is only one plan: to build data centers." And residents are fighting back. They've started a Facebook page, "Say No To Devlin Tech Park," and are planning a protest before the board's Feb 7 meeting. They're even threatening a lawsuit, because clearly, the county supervisors aren't going to protect them. Or as they put it, "We have no hope. We have no options. We’ve lost hope in our county supervisors to protect us."
In the end, it's a losing battle for Bristow residents. They're stuck between a rock and a hard place, surrounded by data centers and electrical substations, with concrete buildings towering over their homes. But they're not giving up yet. The war for Bristow is far from over. Or as they say, "Not until our ears bleed and our homes crumble."
