PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. – Prince William County leaders are facing mounting pressure to address noise generated by data centers, as residents—many from the Great Oak subdivision—delivered passionate testimony during the Board of County Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, June 10.
The board’s discussion centered on a long-delayed draft noise ordinance aimed at controlling the low-frequency hum emitted by industrial cooling systems at massive data facilities, including nearby Amazon Web Services (AWS) sites.
Citizens Sound Off: ‘We Live With This Every Day’
Residents used the meeting’s public comment time to call out county inaction, demanding progress on noise regulations.
Rob Pixley, a Great Oak homeowner, criticized what he described as an ever-expanding wall of data centers encroaching on residential neighborhoods.
“I didn’t think you could find more space for more data centers,” he said. “We live with this day in, day out—and we don’t even have the full effect yet.”
Kathryn Kulick, of the HOA Roundtable, refuted the claim that traffic noise drowns out data center sound.
“Traffic noise doesn’t shake our walls, rattle our windows, or frighten our children,” she said. “The consultant hired by the county has never even been here. What a disservice.”
Bill Wright, a Gainesville resident and member of the Data Center Opportunity Advisory Group (DCOAG), criticized the county for dragging its feet on reforms.
“Deliberations now surpass the Manhattan Project,” he said. “Our citizens are less safe today than they were two years ago.”
Dale Brown, representing the Great Oak Homeowners Association, called the further delay of the noise ordinance “untenable.”
“You all heard the noise. Do you have the courage to do what’s right?”
Other speakers, including Kevin Coyle and Raymond Kowalski of DCOAG, pressed for adoption of World Health Organization noise standards, pre-construction noise modeling, and measurable benchmarks before new centers go live.
AWS and Great Oak: A Community in Conflict
The Great Oak subdivision lies approximately 600 feet from an AWS data center cluster in western Prince William County. Since 2022, residents have complained of constant, low-frequency industrial noise disrupting their sleep and shaking their homes.
In 2024, AWS responded by installing acoustical shrouds and replacing rooftop fans. The upgrades reduced decibel levels by about 10 dB—roughly a 50% drop in perceived volume. But residents say the noise remains intrusive.
Former HOA President Dale Brown estimated the fix cost AWS roughly $40 million—a figure the company has not confirmed. Still, the updates introduced new issues: some homes now experience vibrations, causing items to rattle.
A Semafor report published in May highlighted the Great Oak ordeal as part of a broader clash between rapid data center development and residential livability in Northern Virginia.
Supervisors React: Divided but Determined
Deputy County Executive Wade Hugh briefed the board on the technical challenges in finalizing the ordinance. He said existing tools struggle to isolate data center noise from ambient sounds. New testing using octave band filters and nighttime readings in affected neighborhoods is underway, but analysis is incomplete.
The county has retained Eric Zwirling, director of the Noise Technical Assistance Center at Rutgers University, to independently evaluate the data.
“We’ve captured thousands of hours of nighttime sound,” Hugh said. “We’re now working with national experts to determine how best to proceed.”
Supervisors offered mixed reactions:
- Supervisor Yesli Vega (Coles District):
“We can’t ignore the fact the problem continues. People are going to leave Prince William County if we don’t act.” - Supervisor Bob Weir (Gainesville District):
“This is our fault. We approved these projects. We’ve got to fix it.” - Supervisor Kenny Boddye (Occoquan District) advocated for a phased approach:
“We need to put a floor in place while we build up. People need relief now.” - Supervisor Margaret Franklin (Woodbridge District) expressed caution:
“We can’t create a policy that harms one industry and unintentionally impacts others—like churches or schools.” - Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson emphasized the need for swift progress.
“We must act. Not doing anything is not an option.”
The ordinance will not be ready until fall 2025, following Rutgers’ analysis and potential changes to enforcement strategies, including civil penalties and compliance periods.
For residents of Great Oak and others living near data center sites, the noise continues.
“We’re not anti-data center,” Dale Brown said. “We’re anti-living with industrial noise in our homes.”
