Prince William rejects 1,940-acre data center plan
The vote is the second big Northern Virginia data center setback in a week, as rural opposition hardens against hyperscale sprawl.
Prince William County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to reject initiating a comprehensive plan amendment for the Dulles South Innovation Center, a proposal to convert 1,940 acres near Gainesville into as much as 42 million square feet of data centers. The application, filed by Sanders Lane Assemblage I LLC on behalf of more than 200 homeowners, would have rezoned agricultural and mixed-use land to industrial.
Why it matters. The refusal came at the earliest procedural step — the county declined even to study the change — signaling how sharply the politics of hyperscale development have turned in Northern Virginia, the world’s largest data center market. County staff cited environmental concerns, inadequate infrastructure and threats to rural character. Residents warned of water and air pollution, higher electric bills and noise. It is the second major setback in a week: Blackstone’s QTS walked away from the separate 2,100-acre PW Digital Gateway on July 2.
The numbers. At up to 42 million square feet, the rejected project would have rivaled the largest data center campuses proposed anywhere in the country. Supervisor George Stewart drew a line under the board’s reasoning: “How it is right now, according to this comprehensive plan, is how it needs to be and how it needs to remain.”
What’s next. With the amendment blocked, the landowners cannot advance the rezoning through the current cycle, though they can refile in future rounds. For developers and the hyperscalers chasing power and land, the message from this policy fight is that Northern Virginia’s approvals are no longer routine — a shift that pushes site selection toward friendlier jurisdictions and sharpens competition for entitled national capacity.