Data Centers
In an October 6 opinion column published in The FXBG Advance, Gerlach said no city council candidate “has received donations from any data center company,” calling the suggestion “a deliberate attempt to confuse and deceive voters.” His remarks come amid heightened tensions in the city’s election season, with several candidates facing accusations of taking “data center money” following the appearance of anonymous campaign signs last month.
As Potomac Local News reported on September 19, state campaign finance records confirm that Matt Rowe (Ward 1), Joy Crump (Ward 2), and Susanna Finn (Ward 3) each received donations from Charlie Payne, a Richmond-based attorney with the law firm Hirschler who represents developers involved in the Celebrate Virginia South project, and data center development projects in surrounding jurisdictions. Payne is not a developer himself, and the contributions came from him personally — not from a data center company or political action committee.
Last week, Atlantic Funding Limited LLC sued Jefferson as a private citizen, alleging she spread misinformation during two town hall meetings about the company’s plan to build five data centers on 61 acres behind the Four Seasons retirement community in Dumfries. The lawsuit claims Jefferson acted in a “malicious and deliberate” attempt to stir opposition to the project.
Jefferson, who campaigned against locating data centers near homes and schools, declined to address the specifics of the lawsuit. In a statement, she emphasized her process in evaluating land-use applications.
Stafford County is at a crossroads. From the debate over data centers to a controversial Buc-ee’s proposal, residents are raising tough questions about growth, taxes, and transparency.
In this episode of the Potomac Local News Podcast, host Uriah Kiser sits down with Bart Randall, a 25-year Navy veteran, 19-year Stafford resident, and candidate for the Garrisonville District Supervisor seat, vying to unseat incumbent Pamela Yeung.
Following the Planning Commission’s approval in early July, the Board followed up with its own approval of the two-fold application that requested nearly 19 acres of land be rezoned to accommodate limited future development.
The developer wants to amend the CPA and rezone the area to allow for the limited development in a truly mixed-use area of commercial and retail to the north; industrial trucking and storage to the south; railroad tracks and small residences to the east; and single-family homes to the west.
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MANASSAS, Va. — The court fight over the Prince William Digital Gateway reached a turning point Wednesday as Judge Kimberly Irving declined to stay her ruling that voided rezonings for the massive data center corridor.
Irving struck down the rezonings on August 7, finding that the county’s public notices ahead of December 2023 hearings did not comply with state and local law. County lawyers and developers had urged her to put the decision on hold while they appealed, warning that the ruling could stall plans for 37 data centers on 2,100 acres along Pageland Lane.