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Prince William County Board approves data center project
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors have approved an amendment to move forward with a plan to use over 2,000 plus acres of land for a data center after a marathon public hearing that began Tuesday night and lasted into the morning hours Wednesday. FOX 5's Tisha Lewis has the story.
GAINESVILLE, Va. - The Prince William County Board of Supervisors have approved an amendment to move forward with a plan to use over 2,000 plus acres of land for a data center.
The approval Wednesday morning for the "Digital Gateway" plan came after a marathon public hearing that began Tuesday night and lasted into the morning hours. The Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved the plan with a 5-2 vote.
Both sides in the debate said the proposal to rezone more than 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of farmland carries the potential to dramatically alter the landscape in Prince William County, outside the nation’s capital. Activists described it as one of the region’s biggest land use battles since Disney’s plans for a theme park in the county were scrapped some 30 years ago.
The proposed land sits in the county's "rural crescent" between Route 29 and Route 234 in the Gainesville area.
Supporters, especially the land owners who are ready to sell, say Prince William County can't compete with Fairfax and Loudoun, and the "PW Digital Gateway" as its called, would bring in a technology corridor, jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to support schools and county services.
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Board of supervisors to vote on data center complex
Hundreds of people signed up to let their voices be heard – in person and virtually – on a vote that some say will change the future of Prince William County. FOX 5's Nana-Sentuo Bonsu spoke to residents at the meeting who feel strongly about the issue.
Opponents argue the huge buildings, that are already proliferating Loudoun County, threaten historic sites and water quality. Many of those opponents say the Manassas Battlefield Park and its historical importance should be preserved.
FOX 5 spoke with both supporters and opponents of the plan after the meeting.
"This sort of became an argument about tax revenue versus historic preservation. And I think, you know, oftentimes, the environmentalist work preservation community can sort of come across as anti-growth, and unfortunately, I think that is often misconstrued and simply isn’t the case," one opponent of the plan told FOX 5.
"I supported it. I said it last night that I'm trying to believe we need more revenue. Obviously I'm still young, so we're going to see this when I get older because I'm going to run for the school board, and we need money out in these schools," a supporter of the plan said.
In recent time, data centers that provide the backbone for the rapid increase in cloud computing have proliferated in northern Virginia, an area which has long been a technology hub.
The changes to the comprehensive plan that were approved Wednesday are not the final say. Individual projects within what’s called the Prince William Digital Gateway will still need to seek approval, and supervisors who supported the change say the projects will be scrutinized to ensure environmental concerns are addressed.
Hundreds of county residents spoke, in both opposition and support of the plan, during Wednesday morning's vote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.