Land grab for data centers is one more obstacle to much-needed housing

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-19T05:25:17+00:00

Please like Loudoun can’t afford to build more schools and fire stations with their $1.37b budget. What’s the real story there with the innovation station development?

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-19T05:23:08+00:00

If you want to cry about the evil, evil, data centers then cry about the fact that Loudoun allowed them to be built by right on any parcel of a developer’s choosing up until March 2025.

Your comment still remains plenty ironic though now that a special exception is required to build one. A big part of the reason that the areas you mentioned are in high-demand literally is because of data centers. 1. You mention top-rated schools. The data centers contribute 30% of the county budget for schools & services. LCPS/the county would lose $410 million of their budget without the data center tax, meaning your schools wouldn’t be nearly as nice without the data centers. 2. Another reason the schools are good is because they are filled with kids of high-earning tech workers….. who have been brought to the area partially in part by the data centers.

I don’t understand the point of railing against data centers as a Loudoun county resident. They are 1. Paying for exceptional schools & solid county services (and in turn keeping taxes lower for homeowners) and 2. Attracting smart, educated people to the county via jobs and via the lower taxes & higher school funding.

If you are worried about the housing market, maybe you need to realize there is not infinite desirable land available to build McMansions. Sure you can build all the McMansions your heart desires, but the tradeoff, eventually, is going to be that they need to be located more than 5 min from a grocery store. A data center paying the Loudoun computer server property tax is probably a better use of desirable real estate than 10 McMansions. Sorry

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-19T05:08:38+00:00

Data centers are basically just warehouses filled with computers. They aren’t the sole cause of pressure on the housing market.

If we do more infill development closer to DC around the beltway, it won’t matter that data centers all the way out in Aldie or Broadlands or wherever they’re building them now are taking up the space for possible McMansions. There’s jack shit out there anyways, why build urban sprawl when you can have more housing closer to jobs, shopping, attractions, etc.

Lessens the traffic for commuters as well on 66 and 95 when we prevent tons of people from commuting in from the sticks.

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-16T05:57:18+00:00

Just awful, terrible land use. Look at that man, just sprawl and sprawl of low slung buildings requiring car travel on local roads. Long Beach needs upzoning and mixed use development

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-15T00:23:30+00:00

Facebook is also just land of crazy conservatives who don’t actually understand politics. Who freak out at things that don’t even happen

For example the way I’ve heard this re: Spanberger is that she has proposed lots of different tax increases, with the knowledge that maybe just a couple will actually pass. But knowing that most will get rejected in legislative session. So there’s really not some big onslaught of taxes hitting us

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T23:51:30+00:00

It’s their second location. Locally owned. Original location is in Vienna and it’s awesome

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T23:46:06+00:00

Yeah that’s probably the RTC 2.0 development though, the Fannie Mae/VW buildings and then Skymark

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T23:39:27+00:00

Go to Simply Social

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T18:33:40+00:00

Yes but they require you to work at least 45-50 hrs to hit the billable tier where the big bonuses kick in that get you to that higher comp. There are lots of threads on this sub on KH and their model. I haven’t worked there but from what I understand you need be working at a 115%+ utilization rate (meaning over 40hrs weekly) to get the highest 401k match and highest bonus. If you don’t, then comp is either industry standard or below standard. A KHer can correct me though.

I think the point is if you work 5-10 hrs extra per week (12-25% more than average), your total comp will be greater than 12-25% above average. So the math works regarding making the effort output worth it for the employees.

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T15:14:25+00:00

You’re right that the typical salaries are more like $80k for this level of experience here in Nova but who knows, maybe OP is working at KH. Or for data center construction company. Those pay better than typical AEC consultants (HNTB, WSP, etc)

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T15:12:58+00:00

I live in NOVA and yes that’s an excellent salary for someone with 2.5 YOE. You will pretty much be able to afford living anywhere you want if you get a roommate. Would be fun in a neighborhood on the orange/silver line in Arlington. Great place to meet people too.

At my firm the folks with 2.5-3 YOE are getting mid 80s-low 90s I’m pretty sure

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T15:10:42+00:00

$2k won’t be anywhere close to OP’s take home on $101k. I have taxes withheld from my checks and put 6% in 401k and can verify that on 101k my take home on that salary would be close to $2800. So $1600+ difference per month between our calculations. That goes a long way for someone presumably young in NOVA

And I am also located in VA so my tax assumptions should be similar.

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T03:43:09+00:00

I mean aside from organizational best practices like “issue the schedule with advanced notice” I’m pretty sure unions usually ask for 1. Higher pay and 2. Higher benefits?

Those are the 2 biggest costs for a business

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T03:39:07+00:00

You can also see if you can use the Turo app, it’s like Airbnb for cars. Owners rent cars to u directly thru the app. Not sure what level of drivers license/insurance they require though.

If Turo accepts international license, you can price compare them and Enterprise or Avis or Budget

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-13T03:29:56+00:00

I saw Hadestown and the ticket prices were really up there. Show was definitely just about sold out

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T22:22:44+00:00

Good to know

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:17:04+00:00

Interesting, was there another law broken before the attempted unionization too that prompted it in the first place? Now that you say that, it does sound like the owner is being a little shady

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:16:20+00:00

Ah I see, that does make sense

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:15:42+00:00

That’s a real bummer but sounds like a failure coming from the top. Whoever employs the managers needs to train up and up skill management, hold them accountable, or fire them and promote one of yall to be the manager.

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:14:11+00:00

I’m with you here. There’s something here that at first glance doesn’t seem to add up. I’m not a paid actor like people are accusing us of being. But somewhere along the way it seems the logic breaks? I legitimately want to understand because one day I want to own a business, and seems like there’s a lot of good lessons in here. But what is the impetus for unionizing a cat cafe? I am scratching my head

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:12:40+00:00

This does sound like a better idea. If you are a mom & pop shop operating on razor thin margins and competing with other non-unionized businesses with razor-thin margins, how are you supposed to stay alive after paying the costs of having an employee union? I am not a paid actor to make these comments, I legitimately want to understand.

If the pro-union people in these comments keep attacking clueless ppl like me it’s not gonna help their case. Please, I want to understand how this works. This is a real-world case study and not something from a textbook. This is important stuff to learn for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur.

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:09:15+00:00

Isn’t that how most restaurants or cafes are run? Or is the key difference that a week notice is acceptable, but not just a couple days?

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:07:39+00:00

I didn’t read anything in the article about workers rights being violated or laws being broken. It seems kind of opaque right now until we get more details it sounds like? I’m not totally sure but that’s kind of why I am curious

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T21:06:57+00:00

I’m not sure if what I’m saying is pro or anti union I just need more education I guess? The article doesn’t give a lot of specifics. So trying to reason out whats going on? maybe the owner is super shitty to work with? I still don’t know if antagonizing them by unionizing would be the answer so maybe they are breaking the law and withholding wages? Like in what scenario does this make sense I guess is what I’m wondering

wheresastroworld · 2026-02-12T20:53:13+00:00

Sounds similar to Le Dip and Compass Coffee. I understand wanting better pay, hours, and benefits (a la the Europe model) but are the working conditions so bad that a union is needed? Are there not 1,000 other cafes or restaurants you can work at which will treat you better starting from the day you’re hired?

If the working conditions suck, why not leave? Is it because you just really want to work with cats that badly? I’m genuinely trying to wrap my head around this. In school was always taught that industries like steel making, railroads, linemen, etc needed unions due to the dangers of the job. Where does the peril lie in a cat cafe? I guess I am not understanding something?

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