Prince William Supervisors Unanimously Block 1,940‑Acre Dulles South Data‑Center Plan

Overview

• The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted 8‑0 on Tuesday to deny initiation of a comprehensive plan amendment, an early procedural step that would have begun the rezoning process for the 1,940‑acre Dulles South Innovation Center.
• The decision follows a string of developer retreats, including Blackstone’s QTS formally withdrawing its appeal on July 2 and effectively ending the separate PW Digital Gateway project earlier in the week.
• County staff recommended denying the amendment because the site lies outside the county’s Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District and because of concerns about insufficient infrastructure, threats to rural character, and risks to local water supplies.
• About 95 people spoke during a multi‑hour hearing, with supporters stressing traffic relief and tax benefits and opponents warning of heavy backup generation, increased PM2.5 and greenhouse‑gas pollution, and harm to the Occoquan watershed.
• The vote stops the near‑term conversion of thousands of acres to data‑center use but is not a final ban; rezoning would still be required for any future project and supervisors have signaled they want coordinated, long‑term planning and clearer rules on where large data campuses may be built.