Massive Dulles South data center plans coming before Prince William supervisors amid local outcry
Prince William County supervisors are scheduled to vote on a controversial 1,940-acre data center campus, the Dulles South Innovation Center. County staff recommends denying the project due to its location outside the designated Data Center Opportunity Zone. Local residents and advocacy groups are actively opposing the plan, citing concerns about power supplies, water quality, and environmental impact.
The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is set to vote on a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning for the nearly 2,000-acre Dulles South Innovation Center, also known as Dulles Cloud South. This sprawling data center campus, proposed for the Gainesville District, would encompass 43 million square feet of tech hubs, converting agricultural and forestry land to industrial and mixed-use designations.
The project faces significant local opposition, with advocacy groups like the Coalition to Protect Prince William County and the Prince William Conservation Alliance planning a rally against it. Opponents, including executive director Elena Schlossberg, express concerns about the project's strain on power grids, noise and fumes from diesel generators, and environmental hazards related to water usage and the conversion of natural lands into impervious surfaces. These groups argue the development threatens local power supplies, water quality, and natural ecosystems.
County staff has recommended denial of the proposal, noting that the property lies outside Prince William County's designated Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District and does not align with the county's coordinated development goals. Gainesville District Supervisor George Stewart also opposes the project, emphasizing that it does not fit the area's existing 2040 Comprehensive Plan, particularly regarding municipal water infrastructure and the preservation of watershed areas feeding into the Occoquan and Potomac rivers.