The Virginia Court of Appeals issued a unanimous ruling that effectively halts the controversial “Digital Gateway” project proposed in Prince William County, barring an appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court.
Initially proposed in 2021, the project included 37 data centers and 14 substations spanning 22 million square feet (the equivalent of about 144 Walmart Supercenters) adjacent to the historically important Manassas National Battlefield Park. Manassas battlefield is the site of the Battle of Bull Run, the first major battle of the American Civil War, and the park serves as a popular outdoor recreation and tourism destination for residents and visitors. Despite massive community opposition, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors rezoned the site to allow the data center campuses in 2023.
This is one massive proposal in a long line of data center campuses and related energy projects (transmission lines, substations, etc.) that have threatened Virginia’s parks and battlefields, which PEC and others have fought tirelessly to protect. The Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County was named one of the most endangered historic places in the country by the National Trust for Historic Preservation due to the threat of data centers next door.
