Prince William Co. board votes in favor of land use charter for data center

MANASSAS, Va. - The Prince William County board has voted in favor of a land use charter for the development of a data center in the Manassas area.

Officials say each chapter of the comprehensive plan was approved by a 5-2 vote during a late-night meeting that ended early Wednesday morning.

The project known as the 'PW Digital Gateway' would create a 'technology corridor' along Pageland Lane for development of data center uses.

Over the weekend, Prince William County Supervisor Pete Candland announced his resignation after facing a recall petition and lawsuits over the ‘PW Digital Gateway’ data center project.

Candland signed on with his neighbors to sell their land to make way for the massive data center project. Because of the conflict of interest, he was forced to recuse himself from votes on the matter.

The proposal would require the County to rezone more than 2,000 acres of farmland. Supporters of the project say it would create hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to support schools and county services.

Opponents argue the project would threaten historic sites and water quality.