An unexpected activist emerged to help block a $5 billion data center in Maryland
Community activist Taylor Frazier McCollum helped lead opposition to a proposed $5 billion data center campus at the former Landover Mall site in Prince George's County. A petition, protests and local moratoriums blocked the project, which had received county planning approval and was expected to begin construction in 2026 or 2027.
Taylor Frazier McCollum became a leading opponent of a proposed $5 billion data center campus on the former Landover Mall site in Landover, Maryland. After learning the project could be built less than a mile from her home, she organized a petition that collected more than 25,000 signatures and helped generate protests over potential water pollution, diesel emissions and electricity impacts.
The developer had won approval from Prince George's County planners in 2024, but McCollum's campaign contributed to multiple local moratoriums that placed the project on hold and effectively blocked its planned 2026-27 groundbreaking. Some county officials, including Council Member Wanika Fisher, have argued that the county needs economic development and tax revenue, while McCollum is seeking a permanent ban on the project and other data center developments.