Massive Data Center Complex Rezoning Struck Down In Judge's Ruling

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Rezoning to allow a massive data center campus near Manassas National Battlefield Park has been overturned in Prince William County Court Thursday.

The ruling by Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving in favor of the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and a group of homeowners against the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. According to the Prince William Times, the judge said the county board did not meet public notification hearing requirements with the Washington Post public hearing notice before the December 2023 rezoning hearing.

The data center rezoning by the Board of County Supervisors in December 2023 would pave the way for a major complex with as many as 37 data centers on about 2,000 acres close to Manassas National Battlefield, according to the Associated Press. The area was previously zoned for agricultural and residential uses. However, the lawsuits have put the development on hold.

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Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair Deshundra Jefferson (D-at large), who campaigned against widespread expansion of data centers and was elected after the rezoning, said she remains opposed to Digital Gateway.

"Data centers have enabled us to expand our commercial tax base, but that has come at a high cost to other economic development and to our quality of life," Jefferson said in a statement. "The Board of County Supervisors needs to take a hard look at our community to determine the best course for our growth. We need to do a better job of attracting diverse industries and employers, building quality housing that is affordable for working families, and saying no to data center development where it doesn't make sense."

Jefferson noted the Board of County Supervisors is awaiting legal counsel's advice on the next step for the Digital Gateway rezoning.

The American Battlefield Trust called the ruling a "major victory in the fight against what would be the largest data center complex in the world." The trust and a group of residents have its own lawsuit against Digital Gateway, led by former state Sen. Chap Petersen as counsel. The plaintiffs in the case say the rezoning happened without proper preview of the data center impacts and "unlawful waivers of key analyses."

"[Thursday]’s ruling is a major milestone in our efforts to protect the Manassas Battlefield, demonstrating the merit of our claims that a lame duck Board of Supervisors acted inappropriately in its haste to rezone the Prince William Digital Gateway," said American Battlefield Trust President David N. Duncan in a statement. "We look forward to continuing our fight to ensure this hallowed ground is preserved forever."