Prince William Board Rejects Dulles South Data Center Proposal in Gainesville
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors denied a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and rezoning request for the proposed Dulles South Innovation Center data center campus in Gainesville. The decision followed public debate and staff recommendations against the project, citing concerns over infrastructure, environmental impact, and traffic. This denial comes shortly after the Prince William Digital Gateway project, another major data center development, was declared dead following legal battles.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted on July 7, 2026, to deny a Comprehensive Plan Amendment and concurrent rezoning request for the Dulles South Innovation Center, a large data center campus proposed for the Gainesville District.
County staff had recommended against the proposal, citing insufficient infrastructure capacity, potential environmental impacts, increased traffic, and incompatibility with the area's existing agricultural and hamlet designations. The project sought to re-designate approximately 1,940 acres for industrial and mixed-use development, potentially adding 43 million square feet of industrial space and tens of thousands of daily vehicle trips.
Public debate saw dozens of residents express concerns about noise, pollution, traffic, and rising utility bills, while supporters emphasized potential economic benefits and the need for new revenue. Supervisors, including George Stewart (Gainesville District) and Tom Gordy (Brentsville District), highlighted the importance of adhering to the Comprehensive Plan's protections for rural character and avoiding out-of-cycle amendments.
This decision follows the recent demise of the Prince William Digital Gateway project, which was also located in western Prince William County and faced similar opposition. That project, primarily proposed by QTS Realty Trust (Blackstone) and Compass Datacenters, was ultimately halted after a Prince William Circuit Court judge voided its approvals, a decision upheld by the Virginia Court of Appeals. QTS subsequently withdrew its petition to the Virginia Supreme Court, ending the project and setting a precedent for the board's recent denial.