The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously, Tuesday, to approve a zoning text amendment that ends by-right data center development countywide.
By-right development was permitted within the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District, the hub which is located between the City of Manassas and Bristow.
The amendment would limit the overlay to such an extent that almost all new county data center development would need to obtain a special-use-permit.
Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy-R proposed the amendment, which included a 90-day grace period, during which new developers could submit their proposals. Those already existing or in process would not be affected.
At the Sept. 22 board meeting, supervisors disagreed over the length of the grace period. With Gainesville Supervisor George Stewart-D saying that a 90-day grace period could cause a "gold rush" of new development.
Stewart proposed no grace period, but his resolution failed in a 3-5 vote.
The amendment will significantly slow the rate of data center development in the county, since it forces the county government to consider applications individually, a time-consuming approval process.
The current data center opportunity zone is 9,689 acres and includes several small zones throughout the county; however, the majority of the overlay, located north of Bristow and south of the City of Manassas, is what most people think of as the data center overlay district.
The planning department recommends shrinking the opportunity zone to 3,641 acres, most of which would be land that has already has been developed.
Multiple factors have led to the rezoning amendment. The overlay was created in 2016 with input from citizens and other stakeholders. It was a means to keep data centers in an industrial area.
The west Manassas overlay is already stretching energy consumption from surrounding areas.
Dominion Energy proposed 5.6 miles of 230-volt transmission lines to connect from a substation on Hornbaker Road in Manassas to a Nokesville substation to source more power.
In early winter last year, Dominion Energy proposed the "Nokesville-Bristow transmission lines" stretch through Braemar. That proposal was met with strong resistance from residents.
Dominion Energy's newest "preferred" route would run through Bristow and Nokesville near Route 28. That proposal has also received criticism from residents for affecting farmland.
Moreover, Dominion Energy hopes to expand a substation on Vint Hill, directly across from Braemar in Bristow. That resolution failed 8-0 as well, Tuesday.
The overlay district was not so isolated from residential neighborhoods and schools either. People worried that noise from data centers could be disruptive to living, working and even sleeping.
While the amendment's first draft included requiring a 500-foot setback between data centers and residential neighborhoods, supervisors asked for that change to be removed, so that the measurement of the setback can be discussed and determined at a later date
This allowed them to more easily reach an agreement on the amendment.
This article may be updated with more information.
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