Prince William County withdraws from Digital Gateway lawsuit, reservin...

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has formally withdrawn from legal appeals concerning the controversial PW Digital Gateway, a massive data center corridor project near Manassas and Gainesville, Virginia. This decision, made unanimously after a closed session, comes after the county expended $1.72 million in taxpayer funds defending the project against legal challenges. The withdrawal reshapes the ongoing legal battle, though developers Compass and QTS still retain the option to appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court. The Digital Gateway rezoning was initially approved by the board on December 13, 2023, under then-Chair Ann Wheeler. However, the project was subsequently halted by a unanimous March 31 Virginia Court of Appeals ruling that consolidated two major lawsuits filed by the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and the American Battlefield Trust. The appeals court cited issues of improper public notice as central to its decision. Current Chair Deshundra Jefferson, a data center critic, succeeded Wheeler in January 2024. At full buildout, the Digital Gateway would encompass over 22 million square feet of data centers across 2,100 acres in western Prince William County. The Coalition to Protect Prince William County, along with the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and the American Battlefield Trust, lauded the board's decision. Coalition President David Duncan emphasized the ruling's importance for protecting historical sites like Manassas National Battlefield Park and asserted that the rezoning was detrimental and illegal, echoing sentiments from residents who expressed gratitude that the county will no longer use taxpayer funds to fight its own citizens.