‘An opportunity to right their wrong:’ Digital Gateway opponents urge Prince William County to end legal appeals

On April 7, 2026, leaders of various Prince William County civic associations and conservation groups staged a protest at the county government center in Woodbridge, Virginia. Their primary demand was that the county cease its legal appeals concerning the contentious PW Digital Gateway project, which, if fully built near Gainesville, would become the world's largest data center corridor with over 22 million square feet across 2,100 acres. The protest followed a unanimous March 31 ruling by a three-judge Virginia Court of Appeals panel that favored residents, consolidating cases brought by the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and the American Battlefield Trust. The appeals court's 53-page decision, which reaffirmed an August Circuit Court ruling by Judge Kimberly A. Irving, prominently cited issues of improper public notice related to the project. Elena Schlossberg, executive director of the Coalition to Protect Prince William County, called upon the elected body to "right their wrong" and restore public trust by withdrawing from the litigation. The county, along with developer-defendants Compass and QTS, has a 30-day window to decide whether to escalate the appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court. Despite mounting opposition, county officials have refrained from commenting on their intentions, citing a policy against discussing active litigation. As of April 2, the county had already expended over $1.72 million on the Digital Gateway legal battles. Supervisors George Stewart, Chair Deshundra Jefferson, and Republicans Tom Gordy and Yesli Vega had previously voted in January to reconsider funding the county's defense, but a 4-4 tie vote kept the county as a defendant. Critics like Ashley Studholme, executive director of the Prince William Conservation Alliance, emphasized that community concerns about cumulative impacts are no longer theoretical, pointing to massive increases in data center square footage and raising issues regarding power demands, air quality, transmission lines, water supply, and utility costs. Conversely, a group of over 400 Pageland Lane property owners expressed a differing viewpoint, asserting that the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Digital Gateway was requested by them to defend their property rights and generational investments, and lamenting their perception as "victims."