Prince William County voters back data center opponents in primary

WRC-TV: “Data center expansion in Northern Virginia may have led to a stunning upset in Tuesday’s primary, when a political newcomer defeated the Prince William County Board of Supervisors chair.”

“Democrat Ann Wheeler has been the driving force behind a massive change in the county’s comprehensive plan, opening the door to data center development even in rural areas of the county.”

“Last year, she led a majority on the Board of Supervisors that approved the Prince William Digital Gateway, a plan to rezone more than 2,000 acres of farmland to accept data centers, which house the computer servers and hardware required to support modern internet use. The plan – approved despite vocal opposition from residents concerned that the data centers are noisy, ugly and consume massive amounts of electricity that require the addition of high-voltage transmission lines – prompted one of the region’s biggest land-use disputes in decades.”