Chair Deshundra Jefferson, At-large, Prince William Board of County Supervisors, advanced a directive during the June 23 Board of Supervisors meeting calling for development of a comprehensive data center decommissioning policy framework amid ongoing concerns about long-term infrastructure impacts.
The directive instructs the county executive and staff to create guidelines addressing planning, environmental protection, infrastructure removal and recycling or disposal, security, workforce impacts, and site redevelopment. It builds on prior board actions, including Resolutions 21-327 and 23-111, which initiated amendments to the zoning ordinance and the Design and Construction Standards Manual related to data centers. Staff work should draw from the 2040 Comprehensive Plan’s environmental chapter, the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, and the Community Energy and Sustainability Master Plan, with recommendations on timelines, fiscal impacts, and other considerations for board review. The county attorney’s office will examine legal issues.
Jefferson emphasized the need for foresight as the county manages rapid growth. “My legacy is not having a building named after me… it really is, am I leaving previous boards with more opportunities or more challenges?” she stated during discussion.
The public comment period featured multiple residents urging proactive measures to address data center obsolescence.
Roger Yackel of Gainesville, who said he has conducted about 45 windshield tours of data center sites, highlighted technology risks. “When technology changes, and it will, data centers will no longer be needed… Who pays for the dismantlement? How do we restore the land?” He advocated requiring financial bonds as part of approvals, noting his prior company experience with such instruments, and argued industrial facilities do not belong near homes, schools, or historical sites.
Lisa Polgar of the Potomac District displayed a map of proposed data centers and supported the chair’s initiative. She warned of impacts on water and electric bills and referenced Gary, Indiana’s legacy of abandoned industrial sites. “I strongly support a decommissioning directive by our chair to make sure that after data centers have made their billions, they will be responsible to restore the land to its original status.”
Rachel Ellis echoed concerns about obsolescence and urged support for Jefferson’s framework “for my kids, for everybody.”
Elena Schlossberg shared an example of obsolete technology — an old IBM memory disk holding 2.5 megabytes — and noted data centers’ unique construction (e.g., 37-foot stories) limits repurposing. She called the directive “forward thinking” and tied it to broader energy and infrastructure questions.
Supervisors engaged in limited discussion on the directive. Supervisor Victor Angry and others referenced it in the context of broader planning. Supervisor Tom Gordy (Brentsville) raised related infrastructure concerns during other agenda items but did not directly debate the decommissioning framework in the provided record.
The directive comes as the county balances economic development, including recent approvals for projects such as Innovation Park student housing and the Sandberg Development expansion, against resident concerns about cumulative growth pressures, particularly in western districts like Brentsville and Gainesville. Data centers have driven significant growth in electrical load, prompting related infrastructure proposals, such as the deferred Vent Hill Switching Station special use permit.
Staff will report back with research and recommendations. The move signals growing board attention to long-term accountability for high-impact land uses in a county navigating competing demands for housing, jobs, and infrastructure reliability.
Context on Data Center Growth in Prince William and Virginia
Prince William County has seen a significant expansion of data centers in recent years, with numerous facilities approved, under construction, or planned. Potomac Local News has documented resident pushback, court challenges to rezonings, and infrastructure strains, including power demands and siting near residential and historical areas.
Proposals have sparked debates over cumulative impacts on traffic, water resources, electric bills, and community character. At the state level, Virginia leads the world with 600 data centers already in place and more planned.
During the 2026 Virginia General Assembly session, Democrats clashed over nearly $2 billion in annual tax breaks (primarily sales and use tax exemptions on computer equipment for large data centers). Senate Democrats pushed to eliminate the exemptions to generate revenue for schools, healthcare, and other priorities, while House Democrats and Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Democrat, expressed caution, citing economic benefits and existing commitments.
A budget compromise ultimately preserved the core tax breaks but introduced a new capped energy-consumption tax on data centers, estimated to raise about $600 million annually. These statewide debates provide broader context for local efforts like Prince William’s decommissioning framework.
