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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Six months into his tenure as Gainesville Planning Commissioner, Dr. John W. Lyver, IV, passed away unexpectedly on June 16, 2024, while on a personal trip to Canada.
Lyver, 67, of Heritage Hunt in Gainesville, was appointed to the Prince William Planning Commissioner by Gainesville Supervisor Bob Weir on January 9, 2024. In a statement on his social media pages, Weir wrote, “He was a remarkable man whose shoes cannot easily be filled and a place in our hearts that cannot be replaced. There are no words to express my gratitude for John’s countless hours of dedicated public service to the County and decades of service to our Nation. He will be greatly missed.”
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The Prince William County Planning Commission will hear plans for a new Starbucks in the Princeton Woods neighborhood of Woodbridge. The proposed location for the Starbucks is at 17050 Richmond Highway, just south of the intersection with Pine Bluff Road.
This new development, covering about an acre, will include a drive-through facility as part of the restaurant. The company is applying for a special use permit to allow that drive-through lane.
The Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. at the Prince William County Government Center, 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge.
The Prince William County Planning Commission has approved a special use permit (SUP) to construct a new church in the Potomac Magisterial District.
The proposed church, situated on 11 acres at the intersection of Route 234 (Dumfries Road) and Minnieville Road, has garnered both support and scrutiny from local officials and residents alike.
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The Prince William County Planning Commission is set to tackle two cases on Valentine’s Day – a proposal for the demolition and reconstruction of a Sheetz gas station in Dale City and establishing a new church along Route 234.
The iconic Sheetz gas station at 4021 Prince William Parkway in Dale City may transform. Dating back a quarter-century, this Sheetz location is seeking approval from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors for a special use permit (SUP) to incorporate a drive-through facility. If granted, the existing structure will make way for a modernized Sheetz gas station featuring updated interior designs and the reintroduction of a drive-through option for the convenience store.
Encompassing the demolition and reconstruction of the current Sheetz, the proposed design spans 6,100 square feet of gross floor area and includes 12 gas pumps.
The Sheetz transformation project aims to rejuvenate the gas station, introducing a fresh and modern look. From a redesigned fuel canopy to an improved drive-through facility, these enhancements are expected to elevate the overall customer experience.
With nine existing locations in Prince William County, the first Sheetz was established in Haymarket in 1996.
Meanwhile, the developers of Hope Hill Church are seeking a special use permit from Prince William County to construct its new church, complete with a freestanding electronic message board sign.
The proposed church is planned for an eight-acre property at 15024 Dumfries Road, near the intersection of Minnieville Road. Notably, the site zoned A-1, Agriculture, and designated parks and open space in the Comprehensive Plan currently features a residential unit with a swimming pool, which the applicant hopes to retain as a parsonage.
County documents indicate that notices were sent to property owners within 500 feet of the proposed church site, with no opposition received. The Planning Commission has until May 14, 2024, 90 days from the first public hearing date, to decide on the special use permit proposal. The proposed church location is situated adjacent to the River of Grace Lutheran Church, which borders Prince William Forest Park.
The Planning Commission meeting is open to the public and will commence at 7 p.m. at Board Chambers James J. McCoart Administration Building, 1 County Complex Court in Woodbridge.
Sheetz, a well-known chain of gas stations and convenience stores, is seeking approval from the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to demolish and replace one of its early locations at 4021 Prince William Parkway in Dale City.
The company, owned by STEICO Incorporated, aims to demolish the existing structure and build a new gas station with a drive-through lane. To proceed with the work, it needs a special use permit (SUP) from the Prince William Board of County Superviosors. The county Planning Commission will take up the request at its meeting on February 7, 2024 in Woodbridge, open to the public.
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In a marathon meeting that lasted more than 20 hours at the county government center in Woodbridge, the commission recommended denying two companies — QTS Data Centers and Compass Data Centers — the ability to build 23 million square feet of data center space in what’s become known as the Prince William Digital Gateway.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors will have the final say on the project at a meeting on December 12, 2023. A majority of Democrats on the board support the measure.
During hours of public comment, residents voiced concerns that. The massive data center corridor would bring increased electricity rates and taxes.
Residents were also not convinced that the data centers would bring in the higher tax revenues for the county, all of which had been promised by the companies. Most were not against the concept of data centers, but their impact on the climate crisis, strain on infrastructure, and cost to the residents were all problems that were repeatedly spoken about.
Earlier this month, the Prince William County planning staff also recommended denying the companies the ability to build on the land. County planners have spent the better part of a year reviewing the plans.
Following the denial, QTS and Compass submitted last-minute changes to the plans.
Coles District Planning Commissioner Joseph Fontanella, Jr. said elected leaders who support the data center project pressured planners to recommend approval of the plans.
In his comments during the meeting, Fontanella the integrity of the staff needs to be protected, and pressure should not be applied to staff by impossible deadlines. It is also unfair to the applicant whose application does not get a thorough review, which could ultimately end in denial.
Many who live on the land on which data centers could be built stand to make millions by selling their properties to data center firms. Occoquan District Commissioner Raheel Sheikh was moved by comments made by the Davis family trying to sell their land. Sheik voiced concern that they were not being given the right to sell their land as they chose without having hurdles put in their way.
Sheik also expressed his approval of the diversity of citizens who attended and made comments in the public hearing.
If the Board of County Supervisors approves the development next month, it will clear the way for data centers on 2,e00 acres of land next to the Manassas National Battlefield, an area about 15 times larger than Potomac Mill mall in Woodbridge, to construct new server farms that power the internet.
“For those members of the public wishing to speak on any of the rezonings, signups will begin in person at noon in the atrium of the McCoart Building. Members of the public will not be allowed to sign up before noon. Those wishing to speak remotely may sign up online here and must sign up before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.”
The Prince William County Planning Commission signed off on a plan to let a homeowner sell guns from his house near Manassas.
The commission approved a request for a special use permit approval to allow a home business processing and dealing in firearm sales, transfers, gunsmithing, and firearms manufacturing at a home on Wheeler Ridge Drive, in the Blackburn residential neighborhood behind a Salvation Army thrift store on Balls Ford Road.
