Chairwoman Ann Wheeler and the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors have made a lot of news over the past three years and not the good kind.
Vote after vote, whether it’s controversial land use cases, increasing our taxes every year, meals tax, public corruption investigations, lack of disclosing data center stock, having illegal board meetings, the list goes on and on.
Saying Virginia needs to “tap the brakes” on the rapid expansion of data centers, state Sen. J. Chapman “Chap” Petersen and Del. Danica Roem have introduced three bills that would stop the controversial Prince William Digital Gateway and strictly regulate other data centers proposed near state and national parks.
Prince William County residents asked the U.S. Department of Interior to step in to block the Board of County Supervisors from approving its 2040 comprehensive land-use plan.
The vote is tomorrow, Tuesday, December 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Residents of the Heritage Hunt, Oak Valley and surrounding areas in western Prince William County are taking their fight against the 2,139-acre Prince William Digital Gateway data center corridor to court.
Prince William County Supervisors voted to amend its comprehensive plan to allow up to 27 million square feet of data centers to be built next to Manassas National Battlefield Park.
It’s the largest, most transformative land-use case in county history.
While future skirmishes loom in the form of rezonings, arguably the biggest land-use decision in Prince William County’s history is expected to be made Tuesday, Nov. 1.
That’s when the Board of County Supervisors will hold a public hearing and plans to vote on the proposed PW Digital Gateway. The hearing is on the request from dozens of landowners to designate 2,139 acres in western Prince William County for data centers. Specifically, it is to change the land currently designated as agricultural/estate and environmental resource in the Comprehensive Plan to technology/flex, parks and open space, county registered historic site and environmental resource overlay.
It’s rare for elected officials to speak about happenings outside their jurisdiction.
That’s why, this week, when the Fairfax Board of County Supervisors urged the Supervisors in neighboring Prince William County to pump the brakes on the county’s most significant economic development project in its history — the Prince William Digital Gateway, with 2,100 square feet acres for new data centers, an area 15 times the size of Potomac Mills mall — the action made the news.
Police and local government officials are preparing for one of the most anticipated public meetings in recent years, as the Board of County Supervisors will decide to allow data centers on 2,100 acres next to Manassas National Battlefield.
It’s the largest land-use case in county history, larger than 150 Walmart Supercenters, and 15 times larger than the area of Potomac Mills mall. It’s also proven to be one of the most contentious, as the meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 1, and will last into the early morning hours of the following day.
