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A court ruling has once again halted a massive rezoning effort in Prince William County that would have allowed dozens of data centers to be built near Manassas National Battlefield Park. Now residents and conservation agencies are pushing the county Board of Supervisors to drop out of the lawsuit.
In a ruling last week, the Virginia Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that the Prince William Board of Supervisors sped up the approval process to establish the technology district without giving the public a fair chance to weigh in.
The industrial rezoning, planned near the park where major Civil War battles took place and residential areas, has drawn criticism from conservation groups since it was proposed four years ago It is one of the most high profile land use battles in the state in recent years.
Six groups joined together to file an amicus curiae brief in support of one of the lawsuits against county leaders filed by the Oak Valley Homeowners Association, who were concerned about the potential impacts the siting of multiple data centers could have on noise pollution and other environmental impacts. The court responded to all the suits in one opinion.
“This 2,000+ acre project — one of the largest data center proposals in the world — planned for 37 data centers and 14 substations,” Chris Miller, president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, said in a statement following the ruling. “The failure to properly notice the public hearings on the proposed development is indicative over a rush to judgement and a failure to adequately assess the impacts on local, regional, state and national resources, ranging from historic and cultural sites to water quality.”
The move to rezone the land has been embroiled in controversy since 2022. Opponents warned that the project would impede the county’s rural character, require extensive water use and strain the power grid.
The plan’s supporters highlighted expected financial benefits, given the massive tax revenues that localities often reap from data center development. The initial proposal was pitched by property owners in Prince William County by way of an amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan, which county supervisors later expanded.
The National Parks Conservation Association, who were part of the brief filed in the case, said their chief concern was data centers sprouting up across the street from the battlefield. They’re now urging the developers involved in the case to use this ruling as a sign to reconsider the digital gateway project and find an alternative that would not harm the historical site.
“Constructing and operating this massive data center complex would have devastating consequences for this iconic piece of American history and set terrible precedent for heavy industrial development near our national parks,” said Kyle Hart, the association’s senior Mid-Atlantic program manager.
The Board of Supervisors and the developers involved in the case can still appeal the case up to the Virginia Supreme Court to make a final determination if the rezoning efforts violated Virginia’s public notice law.
“The county is in the process of reviewing the decision of the court,” Nicole Brown, the director of communications for the county, said in a statement Tuesday. “The County Attorney will then provide legal advice to the Board. Since the decision can be appealed within 30 days, and therefore not yet final, this is still active litigation.”
Prince William County has already approved $1.6 million in legal expenses related to the Digital Gateway lawsuit.