Tonight’s meeting on future data centers in Prince William now virtual

County officials canceled the in-person portion of a meeting tonight to solicit feedback on plans to build more data centers. The meeting will be live streamed via this link, county officials said. According to officials, they’re no longer allowing residents to sign up to speak during the meeting.

Prince William County Planning Director Rebecca Horner blamed the cancelation on inclement weather and provided a web link for poeple to view the meeting online and submit questions. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. The event will also be recorded.

The meeting had been scheduled to take place at the George Mason University Science and Technology Campus outside Manassas. The university canceled all activities on campus today due to the threat of snow.

“Due to expected weather, we decided to convert to fully virtual. Most of the people registered to speak were already virtual. We will plan an additional in-person opportunity in the future,” Horner told PLN.

In May, the Board of County Supervisors ordered a review of the Data Center Opportunity Zone — an area with adequate power and water resources marked for developing new data centers.

Democrats who hold the majority on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors say they want to increase the number of data centers — hubs that power the internet — in the county to compete with neighboring Loudoun County. They say the move will increase the county’s commercial tax base.

Republicans on the Board join with conversation groups to oppose the move, saying they want to keep western Prince William County rural and preserve the area around the battlefield, where the first battle of the Civil War took place.

Gainesville Supervisor Peter Candland recused himself from voting on data center issues after he joined with his neighbors, who banded together to offer up their homes near the Manassas National Battlefield to be razed to make way for new data centers.

Horner plans to hold another public meeting at the Beacon Hall auditorium at the Science and Technology Campus on January 27 to discuss building data centers near the battlefield. Due to the university’s coronavirus restrictions, participants must register before attending the meeting in person and complete a lengthy online health screening before being allowed inside the building.