BRISTOW, Va. – The Prince William County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve two new battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities—one on University Boulevard in Bristow and the other on Bethlehem Road near Manassas. The proposals, submitted as Public Facility Reviews (PFR), will move forward without a vote from the Board of County Supervisors unless appealed.
Both sites are already zoned M-1 Heavy Industrial, meaning the battery facilities are permitted by-right. The Commission’s role was to determine whether the facilities’ location, character, and extent are substantially in accord with the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
Gainesville BESS (PFR2025-00007)
The Gainesville Battery Energy Storage System will occupy a 3.06-acre site at 13149 University Boulevard in Bristow, next to NOVEC’s Linton Hall Substation and a data center. The site lies within the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District, though it is designated Parks and Open Space in the Comprehensive Plan.Manassas BESS (PFR2025-00010)
What the Facilities Will Do
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In an early July decision, the Prince William Planning Commission rezoned part of Route 28 in Nokesville to allow for more warehouse development.
The application was two-fold. It was requested that the nearly 19 acres of land be rezoned from mixed-use village to light industrial and that an update be made to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
The update to the CPA would rezone the entire district from general business to light industrial. This area includes parts of Fitzwater Drive, Hooker Lane and the Norfolk Southern Railway, in addition to Nokesville Elementary School and a fire station.
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The development, The Flats at Westminster, will be next to Rockledge Elementary School at the intersection of Clipper Drive and Mariner Lane in Occoquan. The developer proposed 24 units in a residential community, with an estimated 36 total residents, according to the staff report.
The proposal before the Commission was to rezone the land, as it was zoned as agricultural; the areas surrounding the undeveloped site were residential and assisted living facility, open spaces and recreational and community buildings, including the River Ride Community Center, the Lake Ridge Baptist Church and Westminster Presbyterian Retirement Community.
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Updated 9:25 p.m. – The Prince William County Planning Commission has voted to approve the development of two new restaurants at Sudley Manor Square near Manassas -- a Panera Bread with a drive-through and a Dave's Hot Chicken. The proposal, listed as a Special Use Permit, will now move to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for a final decision.
The eateries will share a 4,975-square-foot building, with one featuring a drive-through and the other operating without one. The east-side restaurant, measuring 2,600 square feet, will include a drive-through service, while the west-side restaurant, at 2,375 square feet, will be walk-in only.
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Bristow residents may soon have another massive data center campus as their new neighbor.
Despite community objections over environmental and infrastructure concerns, the Prince William County Planning Commission has approved a plan to rezone 58 acres in Bristow for a large-scale data center campus. The project, known as Bristow Campus, is slated to move forward to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, who will make a final decision on November 19, 2024.
- As proposed, the Bristow Campus data center project involves the construction of two three-story data center buildings, each spanning 450,000 square feet, totaling 900,000 square feet of data center space.
- Additionally, the development includes a substation to support the facility's power requirements.
The proposed development, led by Stack Infrastructure, would rezone agricultural land to a Planned Business District to construct two high-rise office buildings up to 75 feet tall and light industrial structures on Nokesville Road near Broad Run Creek. With site improvements, including a 50-foot perimeter buffer along critical areas, the applicant has committed to preserving 25 acres of open space and dedicating almost 14 acres to the county for parks and recreation, adding a potential trail connection along Broad Run Linear Park.
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Six months into his tenure as Gainesville Planning Commissioner, Dr. John W. Lyver, IV, passed away unexpectedly on June 16, 2024, while on a personal trip to Canada.
Lyver, 67, of Heritage Hunt in Gainesville, was appointed to the Prince William Planning Commissioner by Gainesville Supervisor Bob Weir on January 9, 2024. In a statement on his social media pages, Weir wrote, “He was a remarkable man whose shoes cannot easily be filled and a place in our hearts that cannot be replaced. There are no words to express my gratitude for John’s countless hours of dedicated public service to the County and decades of service to our Nation. He will be greatly missed.”
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The Prince William County Planning Commission will hear plans for a new Starbucks in the Princeton Woods neighborhood of Woodbridge. The proposed location for the Starbucks is at 17050 Richmond Highway, just south of the intersection with Pine Bluff Road.
This new development, covering about an acre, will include a drive-through facility as part of the restaurant. The company is applying for a special use permit to allow that drive-through lane.
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The Prince William County Planning Commission has approved a special use permit (SUP) to construct a new church in the Potomac Magisterial District.
The proposed church, situated on 11 acres at the intersection of Route 234 (Dumfries Road) and Minnieville Road, has garnered both support and scrutiny from local officials and residents alike.
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The Prince William County Planning Commission is set to tackle two cases on Valentine's Day – a proposal for the demolition and reconstruction of a Sheetz gas station in Dale City and establishing a new church along Route 234.
The iconic Sheetz gas station at 4021 Prince William Parkway in Dale City may transform. Dating back a quarter-century, this Sheetz location is seeking approval from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for a special use permit (SUP) to incorporate a drive-through facility. If granted, the existing structure will make way for a modernized Sheetz gas station featuring updated interior designs and the reintroduction of a drive-through option for the convenience store.
Encompassing the demolition and reconstruction of the current Sheetz, the proposed design spans 6,100 square feet of gross floor area and includes 12 gas pumps.
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Sheetz, a well-known chain of gas stations and convenience stores, is seeking approval from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to demolish and replace one of its early locations at 4021 Prince William Parkway in Dale City.
The company, owned by STEICO Incorporated, aims to demolish the existing structure and build a new gas station with a drive-through lane. To proceed with the work, it needs a special use permit (SUP) from the Prince William Board of County Superviosors. The county Planning Commission will take up the request at its meeting on February 7, 2024 in Woodbridge, open to the public.
