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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
Data Centers and Local Land Use
Coverage from Prince William Times, Data Center Knowledge, and others
Large data-center projects often require changes to land-use plans and zoning before construction can proceed.
Local officials weigh development proposals against questions about power and water supplies, transmission infrastructure, traffic, environmental effects, and the character of nearby communities, while supporters may point to jobs and tax revenue. In Prince William County, Virginia, debate over the proposed Dulles South Innovation Center involved a nearly 2,000-acre site and a proposed shift from agricultural and residential uses to industrial development. Planning decisions, public hearings, and related litigation can determine whether projects advance, change, or stop.
Looking Back
140 Day Timeline
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All Articles37 articles
Important
Madera Farm owners filed a revised application June 3 for a potential seven-building data center complex in Nokesville, Virginia, prompting opposition from residents and county planning staff.
9/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS withdrew Virginia Supreme Court appeals on the Digital Gateway data center campus in Prince William County, ending the 2,139-acre technology corridor plan after court-invalidated rezonings.
7/6/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County supervisors recently approved a zoning amendment shrinking the by-right data center overlay during a board hearing in Prince William County, Virginia.
9/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County supervisors are considering tighter data center zoning in Virginia after courts invalidated Digital Gateway approvals and officials rejected another major campus proposal.
9/15/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County's Planning Commission recommended on September 9 that the Board of Supervisors restrict new data centers through zoning changes, setbacks, and special-use permits.
9/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Fauquier County officials will review Remington Innovation Campus on September 17 in Warrenton, Virginia, while Piedmont Environmental Council seeks denial of the proposed 900-megawatt complex.
9/11/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Federal officials consider a Highland Digital land swap to support Quantico Ridge, four data centers and a substation near Prince William Forest Park in Prince William County, Virginia.
7/23/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County, Virginia, Planning Commission recommended a zoning text amendment July 15 to narrow data center by-right overlay eligibility and shift new sites to special-use permit review.
7/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County, Virginia board of supervisors unanimously denied a Dulles South Innovation Center rezoning request for a 1,940-acre data center campus.
7/13/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS withdrew in 2026 from a planned Virginia hyperscale data center campus near Manassas after court decisions invalidated zoning approvals and partners exited.
7/12/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County supervisors voted 8-0 on Tuesday against rezoning needed for the Dulles Cloud South data center, after residents challenged infrastructure, environmental, and rural land impacts.
7/9/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County supervisors voted 8-0 in 2024 to reject a rezoning that would have enabled the Dulles Cloud South 2,000-acre data center campus near Sanders Lane.
7/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County supervisors voted 8-0 to reject CPA2026-00012 for the Dulles South Innovation Center in Virginia, blocking rezoning for data center and substation development.
7/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County Supervisors voted 8-0 on Tuesday in Virginia to deny a comprehensive plan amendment enabling the Dulles South Innovation Center data center campus.
7/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS and Compass Datacenters ended a 2,100-acre Prince William County, Virginia data center campus after a court ruling in April found inadequate public notice for a rezoning vote.
7/6/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS withdrew its July 2 Virginia Supreme Court appeal for the Digital Gateway data center in Prince William County after courts voided zoning approvals over public-notice defects.
7/3/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS withdrew its Virginia Supreme Court appeal on the Prince William Digital Gateway in Prince William County on after a March 31 appellate ruling voided rezoning approvals.
7/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS withdrew its Virginia Supreme Court challenge for the PW Digital Gateway data center project near Gainesville on Thursday.
7/2/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County, Virginia reviews Quantico Ridge, Six Towers Industrial Park, and Southgate data center proposals near schools, parks, and Four Seasons residents, with rezoning and permit decisions pending.
5/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS petitioned the Virginia Supreme Court over the PW Digital Gateway cancellation, with a late May or early June writ-panel session set to advance the case from procedural hurdles.
5/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS Realty Trust withdrew a Virginia Supreme Court appeal on July 2, ending the proposed Prince William Digital Gateway data center campus in Prince William County.
7/4/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS Realty Trust withdrew its July 2 Virginia Supreme Court appeal, ending a Prince William County rezoning lawsuit tied to the Prince William Digital Gateway planned campus.
7/4/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
The Coalition to Protect Prince William County is urging residents to oppose Project Industry and related land-use changes before the county Board of County Supervisors on September 1 in Virginia.
8/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
JK Land Holdings submitted a revised five-data-center and substation proposal for the Gardner Property in Gainesville, Virginia, with Prince William County approvals still required.
8/19/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Fauquier County’s Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend denial of Gigaland’s Remington data center proposal, sending the matter to the Board of Supervisors for final action.
7/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS withdrew a Virginia Supreme Court appeal on Thursday regarding the PW Digital Gateway rezoning case in Prince William County after notice requirements were upheld as legally insufficient.
7/3/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
QTS abandoned the Prince William Digital Gateway in Virginia after courts voided rezoning approvals over public-notice requirements, amid rising scrutiny of data-center energy and water impacts.
7/9/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Interesting
Prince William County supervisors rejected the Dulles South data center proposal in Woodbridge after a unanimous vote amid resident protests over zoning and power-grid impacts.
7/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County supervisors voted Tuesday night against a comprehensive plan amendment for a nearly 2,000-acre data center campus south of Dulles Airport.
7/8/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Prince William County, Virginia, declined to initiate a comprehensive plan amendment for Dulles South Innovation Center after residents raised environmental, infrastructure, and noise concerns.
7/7/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
QTS Realty Trust reportedly abandoned an 800-acre-plus Prince William County, Virginia data center campus plan after deciding not to continue court litigation.
7/3/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
QTS withdrew its Virginia Supreme Court appeal in Prince William County, ending the Prince William Digital Gateway proposal near Manassas National Battlefield Park after more than five years.
7/2/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Residents in Prince William County, Virginia, oppose three proposed Dumfries-area data center projects as approvals and public hearings remain pending.
5/28/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Prince William County is debating whether proposed data-center development, including PW Digital Gateway, can justify its tax revenue amid growing grid, water, transmission, and rural land demands.
9/12/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
TA Realty acquired a by-right, site-plan-approved data-center parcel in Sterling, Virginia, for $60 million, closing June 8, 2026.
7/13/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General
Additional
In the fiscal year ending in June, QTS construction helped raise York County, South Carolina's non-residential project values to $420.2 million, while resident opposition and a county moratorium continued.
9/24/2026 • Project Finance & Incentives • General
QTS will expand its White Oak Technology Park footprint in Henrico County, Virginia, by planning 17 new data centers and nearly 8 million square feet.
5/18/2026 • Infrastructure & Site Development • General