Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Compass Walks Away From Prince William Digital Gateway After Legal Defeats

A court ruling voiding the rezoning left no path to build, showing how local backlash is reshaping data center growth.

Overview

  • Compass Datacenters, which disclosed its decision Wednesday, said it cannot move forward with the planned data center campus in Prince William County.
  • The Virginia Court of Appeals on March 31 upheld a ruling that voided the 2023 rezoning for inadequate public notice after suits by the Oak Valley Homeowners Association and the American Battlefield Trust.
  • Prince William County ended its appeal earlier in April after spending about $1.7 million defending the now-voided rezoning.
  • QTS, Blackstone-backed co-developer, has not said whether it will appeal, leaving the roughly 2,000-acre, 22 million–square-foot plan in limbo.
  • Developers assembled sale agreements with nearly 100 landowners, and one seller, Mary Ann Ghadban, has filed a federal lawsuit against QTS, leaving residents who planned to sell with fresh uncertainty.