Public comment notice for Microsoft data center on former missile site raises transparency concerns
Microsoft's planned data center campus in Bristow, Prince William County, is drawing resident backlash due to transparency concerns over an environmental impact review notice from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Residents argue the notice provides scant details regarding the true scope of the project, especially concerning building height and its location on a former Superfund site. Local officials are beginning to investigate these discrepancies.
Microsoft Corp.'s planned data center campus in Bristow, Prince William County, Virginia, is facing significant resident opposition and transparency concerns. An environmental impact review public notice from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding the proposed tech hub at 13490 University Blvd. has been criticized for offering insufficient details about the project's true scope.
Residents, including Gainesville native Elizabeth Martorana, who witnessed the Love Canal disaster, express concern that the DEQ notice describes only "two one-story buildings" and a substation, while the Prince William County online mapper shows six potential buildings for the property. This discrepancy is particularly alarming given Microsoft acquired the land for over $465 million. County rezoning documents from March 2023 for a project at the same location, then known as "University Business Park," had requested a height increase from 75 to 105 feet, contrasting with the current "one-story" description, although a county spokesperson noted data center "stories" are often taller than typical buildings and the online map reflected inactive, older applications.
Further compounding concerns, the new campus is situated on the former Atlantic Research Corporation Superfund and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) site, known for historical rocket and missile production and associated contamination. Elizabeth Ward, a former EPA engineer and member of the Prince William County Sustainability Commission, highlighted ongoing groundwater pumping in the area due to contamination and questioned the lack of permits or studies for stream reconfiguration and potential soil disturbance. The project requires an individual permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act to impact streams and wetlands.
Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy, whose district encompasses the property, stated his intent to investigate the issue, particularly the definition of "one story" for data centers and current development plans, noting the facility is by-right zoned within the county's Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District.