Real estate investment firm Penzance is looking to develop a data center in Chantilly in Northern Virginia, on a site previously earmarked for an auto sales facility.
BizJournal reports that this month the company applied to Fairfax County to rezone a plot of land off Lee Jackson Memorial Highway to allow for a 402,000-square foot (37,350 sqm) data center or a 150,000-square-foot (13,935 sqm) warehouse.
An affiliate of Penzance Management LLC acquired the vacant parcel adjacent to an auto dealership cluster, about a mile south of Dulles International Airport, for $10 million in August.
While much of it sits in a floodplain, about 12 acres of the lot are developable, adjacent to Ourisman Chantilly Toyota at 4135 Auto Park Circle. Fairfax County previously rezoned that part of the property under different ownership in 2019, approving the development of vehicle sales, rental, and service facilities, plus a used car storage lot. However, the plot remains vacant.
While Penzance declined to comment to the publication, the data center option is listed first in the application filing.
Founded in 1996, Penzance is focused on residential, industrial, office, and data center developments. It owns a number of office, industrial, and flex sites in the wider DC area. Last year the company was seeking $350m for a real estate fund partially focused on investing in data centers in the area.
DSP Real Estate is planning a possible data center in Dumfries
In neighboring Prince William County, another company is looking to develop a data center or warehouse in Dumfries.
Interstate Dr. LLC, a subsidiary of DSP Real Estate Capital, is seeking a rezoning from Prince William County to develop a self-storage facility and either a data center or distribution center to the Dumfries area.
First reported by InsideNova, the request is to rezone 21 acres from agricultural use to light industrial. The property is located at 16781 Interstate Drive, north of the Interstate 95/Va. 234 interchange near Dumfries and south of Dale City.
Founded last year 2021 to invest in multi-family residential complexes, the company does not list any industrial developments in its portfolio.
