BREAKING: Developer to end appeal in Digital Gateway data center case, putting the massive project in deeper peril

One of the primary developers behind the massive PW Digital Gateway data center project, Compass Datacenters, has announced it will drop its appeal against a March 31 ruling from the Virginia Court of Appeals. This ruling upheld an August 2025 Prince William Circuit Court decision that voided the project's rezoning. The Digital Gateway, planned for 2,000 acres near Gainesville, Virginia, was envisioned as the world's largest data center campus, featuring 37 data centers totaling over 22 million square feet. The initial rezonings for the project were approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in December 2023 following an extensive 27-hour meeting. However, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving subsequently ruled these rezonings void due to improper public notice prior to the county's vote. Two primary lawsuits, one from the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and another from the American Battlefield Trust (due to the project's proximity to Manassas National Battlefield Park), challenged the project and were heard together on appeal. While Compass Datacenters, which spearheaded the project with QTS, will not continue the court fight, it remains unclear whether QTS plans to pursue further appeals. Earlier this month, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors also voted to end its own appeal of the judges' rulings, having spent over $1.7 million in taxpayer funds on legal costs. Meanwhile, Mary Ann Ghadban, a landowner who assembled property for the developers, is now suing QTS in federal court.