Prince William Co. supervisors vote to end by-right data center development countywide

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors in Virginia has unanimously approved a landmark zoning text amendment, effectively ending by-right data center development across the county. The 8-0 vote means that all future data center projects will now require a special use permit, mandating that they come before the Board for final consideration.

The amendment was initiated by the Board on June 9, following a directive from Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy in March. Data centers already built, under construction, or with approved site plans that passed quality control will remain under the existing overlay. A 90-day grace period for new proposals was included in the approved amendment, a compromise reached after some supervisors, including Gainesville Supervisor George Stewart, pushed for a zero-day period to prevent a "gold rush" of applications. Stewart's substitute motion for no grace period failed 3-5.

Chair Deshundra Jefferson called a 30-minute closed session before the vote to seek legal guidance, stating the need to avoid a deadlock and not "kick the can down the road." Separately, a discussion on setbacks from residential areas and schools was tabled, with Planning Director Tanya Washington targeting a November public hearing by the Planning Commission and a January board hearing for the setback proposal. The Planning Commission had previously reached an impasse on buffer and grace period lengths before Commissioner Raheel Sheikh's compromise vote.