Bristow residents may soon have another massive data center campus as their new neighbor.
Despite community objections over environmental and infrastructure concerns, the Prince William County Planning Commission has approved a plan to rezone 58 acres in Bristow for a large-scale data center campus. The project, known as Bristow Campus, is slated to move forward to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, who will make a final decision on November 19, 2024.
- As proposed, the Bristow Campus data center project involves the construction of two three-story data center buildings, each spanning 450,000 square feet, totaling 900,000 square feet of data center space.
- Additionally, the development includes a substation to support the facility's power requirements.
The proposed development, led by Stack Infrastructure, would rezone agricultural land to a Planned Business District to construct two high-rise office buildings up to 75 feet tall and light industrial structures on Nokesville Road near Broad Run Creek. With site improvements, including a 50-foot perimeter buffer along critical areas, the applicant has committed to preserving 25 acres of open space and dedicating almost 14 acres to the county for parks and recreation, adding a potential trail connection along Broad Run Linear Park.
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Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair, at-large Deshundra Jefferson, is on the mend after having had surgery for Crohn’s disease. This chronic inflammatory bowel condition has affected her health over the past two years.
Now two weeks post-surgery, Jefferson reports feeling “pretty good” and looks forward to resuming her duties full-time, including attending Zoom meetings and tackling a backlog of emails next week. Despite her temporary absence, Jefferson is grateful for her colleagues, especially Supervisor Boddye, who stepped up in her absence, as well as her staff, friends, and supportive 16-year-old son. “These things are kind of frightening until you actually go through them,” she shared, noting the relief of finally addressing symptoms that had worsened over the past few months.
Jefferson’s journey with Crohn’s disease began with a diagnosis in the summer of 2022, followed by a period of remission in 2023, during which she felt “great” and could nearly forget she had the disease. However, her condition resurfaced with abdominal cramping and digestive issues, leading doctors to recommend surgery. “The only way to fix that was to have a colon resection,” Jefferson explained, adding, “When I was feeling good, I wasn’t going to the doctors as often as I should, and that’s a lesson.”
Crohn’s disease, often hereditary, is marked by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, causing symptoms like severe abdominal pain, cramping, and fatigue. The condition has no cure, but treatments like medication and surgery can help manage symptoms.
Jefferson now hopes her experience will encourage others to “listen to your body” and seek medical advice as needed. “I didn’t know how many people were impacted by Crohn’s,” she said, surprised by the community’s response and support.
With her health gradually improving, Jefferson is eager to return to significant county matters, focusing on housing affordability and responsible data center growth. She has advocated shifting the county’s focus from traditional affordable housing to “attainable housing” to support police, fire, rescue, and other essential service workers find homes near their workplaces. “It was affordable to live here; it’s not anymore, and it’s hurting our growth,” she said. She emphasized the need for workforce housing options that promote homeownership, a goal that initially drew her to Prince William County.
Jefferson also aims to address the future of data centers in Prince William, which has generated extensive community debate. Her priority is to hold a work session to evaluate the Data Center Overlay Zone, which encompasses areas with sufficient water and power resources required for server farms. “We need a more holistic view of data center growth within our county,” Jefferson noted, suggesting the possibility of removing specific parcels from the overlay to relieve districts disproportionately affected by the industry’s expansion.
Nearly a year into her four-year term, Jefferson, a full-time supervisor, remains committed to creating a balanced and sustainable future for Prince William County. Driven by her commitment to community issues, she ousted former Chair At-large Ann Wheeler in the June 2023 Democratic Primary.
It’s time to do what’s best for Prince William County and move forward with the Digital Gateway. Approved by the Board of County Supervisors in December 2023, the Digital Gateway’s implementation has been slowed due to legal proceedings meant to stop it despite years of discussion, debate, and public hearings that led to approval by the Board of County Supervisors.
Opponents are focused on burdening our legal system with proceedings to challenge the Digital Gateway’s approval even though the Prince William courts have already dismissed one case with prejudice because it lacks merit. Today, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors will ask the County Circuit Court to dismiss another lawsuit filed by a former State Senator that would halt the Digital Gateway Project.
The Chamber is sensitive to the issues that were raised during the years of debate on the Digital Gateway. However, those issues were addressed during the approval process and safeguards put in place to ensure the Digital Gateway meets the most stringent standards.
It is time now that we come together as a community to move forward and implement the vision of the Digital Gateway. We’ve seen in Loudoun County the tax benefits it has reaped because of data centers. From 2018 – 2022, they received about $2.3 billion in tax revenue according to a George Mason University analysis. That has meant more revenue for its schools as well as less reliance on residential taxes.
Imagine what that tax revenue would do for Prince William County to fund its priorities such as schools, parks and affordable housing initiatives as well as relief to homeowners’ taxes. These are important priorities for the Chamber and all of us.
It is time to stop the legal delays and move forward with the Digital Gateway for the benefit of the community.
A proposal to build three new Amazon data centers along Ashton Avenue near the Manassas Mall was shelved indefinitely ahead of the Oct. 22 Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting during which it was scheduled to be discussed.
The server farm will be one of four in Manassas and will have three buildings. Post says that the construction has caused significant issues for his business. “The blasting has caused our sprinkler standpipe to shift in the ground, and a truck damaged our portico. It has cost me $2,900 in repairs,” he said. “There have been instances where the blasting has disrupted funeral [ceremonies]. During a funeral, a minister was giving a eulogy, and without any warning, they let off a giant explosion. Then, the fire alarm went off right after the blast and sounded throughout the funeral.”
Despite these challenges, Post says that the city has been largely indifferent to the struggles of existing businesses in the area. “It seems like the new city leadership is letting the data centers walk all over us,” he noted. “The old leadership would never have allowed this to happen. They understood the importance of protecting local businesses while managing growth.”
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The Stafford County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted 6-1 on Tuesday evening to approve a zoning reclassification for developing the Stafford Technology Campus, a project poised to reshape over 500 acres of land in the county’s Falmouth District. The decision reclassifies the lane from an A-1 Agricultural Zoning District to an M-2 Heavy Industrial Zoning District, clearing the way for one of the country's most significant developments. Rock Hill District Supervisor Crystal Vanuch voted against the rezoning.
Project Details
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Prince William County is navigating challenges as it seeks to balance the growing demand for data centers with its aspirations for technological innovation and education, particularly around the George Mason University SciTech Campus.
This dynamic was discussed at the Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting on September 10, when leaders and stakeholders expressed concerns over how the expansion of data centers could impact the county's economic growth potential, particularly at the college's Innovation District, outside Manassas.
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The Stafford County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2o24, to delay a decision on the proposed Stafford Technology Park, a sprawling data center complex, until September 17, 2024. The deferral follows extensive discussions about the project’s potential impact on the county’s water resources and infrastructure.
The Stafford Technology Park, planned for over 500 acres in the Falmouth District, would transform undeveloped land into a significant data center hub. The proposed development includes 23 buildings, with a total floor area of 5.8 million square feet, and would require substantial infrastructure upgrades, including new road extensions and up to six electric substations.
Concerns Over Water Usage
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Tonight, August 20, 2024, at 5 p.m., the Stafford County Board of Supervisors will meet at the county government center, located at 1300 Courthouse Road in Stafford, to deliberate on a significant land use amendment. The proposal under review aims to rezone over 500 acres of land on Eskimo Hill Road, near the Rappahannock Regional Landfill, to facilitate the construction of a large data center complex.
If approved, the request would transition the zoning from A-1, Agricultural, to M-2, Heavy Industrial, allowing for the development of a data center campus envisioned to encompass approximately 5.8 million square feet across 23 buildings. The development also includes plans for public facilities and utilities.
The plans are outlined in items 33 and 34 on tonight’s agenda.
The proposal to incorporate this expansive tract into the county’s Urban Services Area (USA) is central to tonight’s agenda. This designation is crucial as it would qualify the land to be serviced by the county’s water and sewer infrastructure. However, concerns have been raised about the substantial water demands these facilities might impose, particularly with the cooling needs of data centers, which often rely on high volumes of water for evaporative cooling processes.
County officials have suggested using a gray pipe system that would utilize recycled water for cooling purposes, aiming to mitigate the potential strain on local water resources sourced from the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers. Nonetheless, the efficiency of such systems in large-scale operations remains a topic of debate.
The General Development Plan (GDP) outlines a series of proffers concerning the site’s development, including the heights of buildings, which could reach up to 110 feet, surpassing the current maximum of 65 feet allowed in the M-2 zoning district without a conditional use permit. The proposed plan also highlights efforts to preserve the area’s ecological integrity by maintaining tree preservation zones and buffers near residential and natural areas.
Additional infrastructure developments proposed include up to six electric substations to support the site’s energy needs. These substations will connect to an existing high-voltage transmission line bisecting the property. Like other components of the project, these substations would typically require a conditional use permit, a requirement that the proffers seek to circumvent.
Tonight’s discussion will also cover potential impacts on local traffic. Plans to construct a new road extending from Richmond Highway to Eskimo Hill Road will improve access to the data center campus.
The decision on this transformative project is set for a vote by September 11, 2024. If approved as proposed, the data centers will not have to return to the Board of Supervisors for additional considerations, such as obtaining a Special Use Permit, similar to what fast food establishments must do when adding a drive-through lane at a restaurant.
