The Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to deny a comprehensive plan amendment that would have paved the way for the planned, nearly 2,000-acre Dulles South Innovation Center data center campus.
Following a five-hour public hearing, the board halted the project in an 8-0 vote, a rarity for data center proposals.
The massive campus, also known as Dulles Cloud South, would have spanned 43 million square feet of data centers and is located in the Gainesville District along Sanders Lane near the Loudoun County border.
The amendment would have altered the long-range land use designation for around 252 parcels from AF, agriculture and forestry, to I-3, industrial, and MU-1, mixed-use hamlet, on about 1,940 acres. Had the amendment been approved, an accompanying rezoning would have taken place for the land from A-1, agricultural, to PBD, planned business district.
Prince William staff recommended supervisors deny the proposal, noting the property falls outside the county鈥檚 Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District.
A new protocol
About 35 minutes into Tuesday afternoon鈥檚 meeting, as the public hearing was opening, Gainesville District Supervisor George Stewart voiced a late objection to fellow Democrat and Chair Deshundra Jefferson鈥檚 initial acceptance of an eleventh-hour deferral request by the Dulles South comprehensive plan amendment requestor, Sanders Lage Assemblage I LLC.
Stewart said he had misunderstood Jefferson鈥檚 call for objections at the outset of the meeting.
While Jefferson said she initially planned to automatically permit the deferral as customary since the start of her tenure in 2024, the board took a 10-minute recess to verify procedural steps.
Jefferson then opted to allow a vote on Stewart鈥檚 objection, which resulted in a 7-1 outcome against the deferral and allowed the public hearing to move forward. Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry cast the lone vote in favor of the deferral.
Jefferson said she was 鈥渋n full compliance with everything鈥� after consultation with County Attorney Michelle Robl while 鈥渞unning a tight ship.鈥�
The chair added she didn鈥檛 鈥渨ant to waste taxpayer money on another frivolous lawsuit鈥� 鈥� a condemnation from the dais of the now-defunct PW Digital Gateway project.
Digital Gateway developer QTS dropped its appeal of a lawsuit voiding the project last week.
The county had withdrawn from the appeal in mid-April, and Compass, the other developer behind the Digital Gateway, ended its appeal in late April.
Hearing from both sides
About 95 community members addressed the board during Tuesday鈥檚 public hearing.
Supporters of the amendment emphasized their traffic-related concerns regarding the area along Sanders Lane, underscoring how they believed the data center campus would help alleviate those issues through the rewidening of Sudley Road.
Those in favor also lamented the loss in tax revenue resulting from Digital Gateway鈥檚 cancellation and highlighted what they deemed to be a misconception of the Gainesville land鈥檚 perceived 鈥渞ural character,鈥� which they say has evolved in recent years amid residential growth.
Opponents of the amendment, meanwhile, said a traffic study would be more suitable for the community.
Voicing apprehension
Prior to Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, around 100 residents joined community leaders and state officials for a rally and news conference outside the James J. McCoart Building and county government center in Woodbridge.
Notable speakers included U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam 鈥� who, holding out three fingers, implored the board to 鈥渏ust say no鈥� 鈥� as well as state Sen. Danica Roem and Del. Josh Thomas, both of whom represent parts of western Prince William.
Also taking the podium were Martin Jeter, president of the Mid-County Civic Association of Prince William; Ashley Studholme, executive director of the Prince William Conservation Alliance; and a handful of residents from Loudoun and Spotsylvania counties who have been impacted by data centers.
Elena Schlossberg, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, advocated for requiring the data center industry to pay for its own infrastructure, including the approximately 6,000 diesel generators that would have been needed for Dulles South.
Roem sought to rebut advocates of data center job creation, citing hardships faced by former employees of the now-dissolved Merrifield Garden Center in Gainesville, which sold to data centers in October for $160 million.
Jeter highlighted the greenhouse gas goals outlined in the county鈥檚 Community Energy and Sustainability Master Plan, which he said the county would have 鈥渧irtually no chance鈥� of achieving if Dulles South were approved.
Jeter said greenhouse gas emission totals would rise 鈥渢hrough the roof鈥� 鈥� primarily due to diesel generators, the possibility of gas turbine generators and the harmful everyday health effects of 鈥淧M 2.5鈥� particulates stemming from the diesel generators.
The final consensus
In response to concerns from residents supporting the amendment, who brought up AI competition with China, Stewart said 鈥淟oudoun County has more data centers than China鈥� and dismissed the issue.
The Gainesville supervisor, having initiated a motion to deny the project, lamented the afternoon鈥檚 鈥渟upporters vs. opposition鈥� mentality and said “everyone that spoke is a neighbor.鈥�
Stewart proceeded to place a 600-page binder on the dais containing the county鈥檚 2040 Comprehensive Plan in response to requests from amendment supporters for a bonafide further study of the area.
He added the county would be 鈥減lacing 18 Empire State buildings into a rural area,鈥� calling data centers 鈥渁 pernicious health threat to everybody in this room.鈥�
鈥淧rince William County is not a Formula 1 vehicle, and this board is not a pit crew,鈥� Stewart deadpanned. 鈥淲e cannot pave over the headwaters for the Occoquan 鈥� 8 million people depend on that.鈥�
Coles Supervisor Yesli Vega lauded the board鈥檚 bipartisanship, cautioning against 鈥減utting all of its eggs in one basket鈥� with regard to its tax base. But she stressed the need to maintain ongoing relations with the data center industry.
Brentsville Supervisor Tom Gordy called the board 鈥渄isciplined鈥� in following the Comprehensive Plan.
Board members cited the need to bypass 鈥減iecemeal development,鈥� with Jefferson saying planning for the county鈥檚 future 鈥渋s too important to be a political issue.鈥�
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