Lawsuits mounting as Prince William County continues to eye more data centers
Lawsuits mounting as Prince William County eyes more data centers
Lawsuits are mounting against Prince William County leaders and data center developers while discussions are underway to bring even more data centers to the county. A planned vote Tuesday night in Prince William County impacting the future of a massive data center project in Bristow.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. - Lawsuits are mounting against Prince William County leaders and data center developers as discussions are underway to bring even more data centers to the county.
The latest:
Prince William County lawmakers had a zoning vote Tuesday night at 7 p.m. for the Bristow Campus Data Center. The outcome could impact the future of a massive data center project in Bristow.
And earlier in the day, residents were in court trying to block another data center project. That hearing took place at the Arlington Circuit Court.
It started at 1 p.m. and was over within an hour, with each side given 15 minutes to make their argument. The plaintiffs, who are Bristow residents, argue that they were not given proper notice about the data center.
The defendants, which include the developer and county leaders, argue that the residents have no standing. This comes after a lower court judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Bristow data centers.
Dig deeper:
Six residents are suing the county and developer Stanley Martin, saying proper procedures were not followed, including proper notice and correct information. They also allege details about the project were changed after approval.
The plaintiffs say the proposed Devlin Technology Park project will impact their quality of life.
"I don’t think anyone wants these giant warehouses in their backyard, their loud, their incredibly noisy, the decibels go way up there, said Mike Phillips, a Bristow resident and plaintiff.
The developers have deep pockets, the citizens don’t and it’s really sad that us as citizens are spending our money and the county is spending our tax dollars to fight against us.
FOX 5 reached out to Prince William County regarding Tuesday's appeal and a spokesperson responded via email saying the county does not comment on ongoing litigation.
The appeals court will decide the next steps in about 30 to 45 days.