Massive crowds, capacity limits are expected at Tuesday’s data center meeting

Police and local government officials are preparing for one of the most anticipated public meetings in recent years, as the Board of County Supervisors will decide to allow data centers on 2,100 acres next to Manassas National Battlefield. It's the largest land-use case in county history, larger than 150 Walmart Supercenters, and 15 times larger than the area of Potomac Mills mall. It's also proven to be one of the most contentious, as the meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 1, and will last into the early morning hours of the following day. The county posted the map above of its government center at 1 County Complex Court off Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge to show visitors where to find parking and handicapped parking. Handicapped parking and a limited number of public parking spaces will be available in front of the McCoart Building, where Supervisors meet. Most attendees will need to park at lots on the east side and on the backside of the McCoart Building, including Pfitzner Stadium, the former home of the Fredericksburg Nationals baseball team. The county also anticipates multiple news crews on-site during the meeting, and the map shows where they should park. Government officials prohibited tents on the property. The doors to the McCoart building will open at 5:30 p.m. Police will close the doors when the building reaches its 440-person occupancy. Residents who want to address the Board of County Supervisors may sign their names to a speaker sheet at 5:30 p.m., two hours before the meeting start. Visitors will find the sheets in the atrium at the McCoart Building. After making their comments, speakers are encouraged to leave the building to make room for new speakers.  Residents who want to speak from home may use this link until 5 p.m. Monday, October 31, to sign up to speak virtually. The county government is petitioning the Board of County Supervisors to amend its comprehensive plan and rezone the land from rural to industrial, clearing the way for the Prince William Digital Gateway. Supporters say the data center (server farms that power the internet) will bring more tax revenue for schools and other local government services. Opponents urge Supervisors to delay the decision on the project, saying clear-cutting so much land in a rural area will lead to more stormwater and pollutants flowing into the Occoquan Reservoir, the drinking water source for 1.5 million people in Fairfax and Prince William counties. The Fairfax Board of County Supervisors urged Prince William officials to tap the brakes on the plan and study the existing pollutants in the reservoir and how to mitigate future pollutants from data center development in western Prince William.

Planning Ahead: November 1, 2022, Board of County Supervisors Meeting

What time will the meeting begin? The November 1, 2022, Board meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. The public hearing on #CPA2021-00004, PW Digital Gateway Plan, is the only item on the agenda. pic.twitter.com/4GsNNZAznF -- Prince William County (@pwcgov) October 27, 2022