WRC-TV: “Data center expansion in Northern Virginia may have led to a stunning upset in Tuesday’s primary, when a political newcomer defeated the Prince William County Board of Supervisors chair.”
“Democrat Ann Wheeler has been the driving force behind a massive change in the county’s comprehensive plan, opening the door to data center development even in rural areas of the county.”
Three years ago, my husband and I moved to our retirement home. A year later, this turmoil began. When a billion-dollar company and another multi-million dollar company come charging into your community with unlimited wealth and proceed to turn your world upside down, it truly is tragic for anyone, but especially so for my senior community of Heritage Hunt, with 3,500 people and an average age of 75, located only an hour west of Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital.
With the advent of data centers to make our world connected at intergalactic speeds, people do not realize what the adverse effects of a proposed data center alley can do to the community in which they encroach: the destruction of our environment and wildlife, the pressure on our overtaxed electrical grid; the polluted air with particulate matter from diesel-fired, backup generators; the depletion of our watershed; potential 24/7 noise from rooftop A/C systems on hyper-scale buildings standing 90 feet tall and beyond; and, most importantly, the disrespect to the thousands of Civil War soldiers buried on the hallowed grounds of the Manassas National Battlefield Park adjacent to this proposed large data center alley, the same data center alley adjacent to my retirement community. Even our Conway Robinson State Forest abuts this project.
Prince William Times: “Opponents of the Prince William Digital Gateway were dealt another blow Thursday when a judge dismissed a second lawsuit challenging the data center development.”
“Both lawsuits were filed by residents late last year in an effort to stop the 2,139-acre data center corridor proposed just north of the Manassas National Battlefield Park from moving forward. Both suffered the same fate: dismissals from two different judges in separate hearings held just a few weeks apart.”
“Delaware Land LLC, associated with prominent data center developer Chuck Kuhn, is in contract to purchase 14 parcels between Routes 29 and 55 near Gainesville, with plans to build nearly 2 million square feet of data centers if it can get the Board of County Supervisors to go along with what will surely be a controversial rezoning.”
“Among the 81.9 acres proposed for rezoning is the Hillwood Camping Park, home to a number of mobile homes and campgrounds on over 15 acres.”
QTS inquired into developing a data center campus along Pageland Lane, outside of the county’s designated Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District, as early as the summer of 2020.
Following the Prince William Board of County Supervisors’ vote to approve the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Digital Gateway last November, I urge the Planning Commission and Board of County Supervisors to continue moving forward with efforts to implement the transformative vision of the project.
The Prince William Digital Gateway aligns with the county’s strategic plan. It provides an array of benefits through an increased tax base to fund opportunities for schools, affordable housing, parks, trails, public health, transportation, and other services.
