Special Issue

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Prince William County

Dear Neighbors,

In October of last year, a Special Issue of The Wheeler Report was sent in advance of the BOCS vote on the PW Digital Gateway amendment to the Land Use Chapter of the County's Comprehensive Plan. At the time, there was significant speculation, conjecture, and misinformation about the amendment, so I wanted to ensure residents were properly informed. If you are not familiar with the PW Digital Gateway details, or could use a refresher, it's a great start.

The amendment was passed during the November 1st BOCS meeting and the adopted PW Digital Gateway section was added to the Land Use Chapter. The amendment allows the area to be used for technology. It does not address specific use by any individual or entity. Any applicant who wants to use this area, must file a detailed zoning request with the BOCS and must also address the many environmental recommendations in the amendment.

This Special Issue addresses this next phase of the PW Digital Gateway, an application for a hearing to rezone the area (County News issue 176). It is a reprint of my recent Guest Opinion published by Prince William Times. Once again, it's focus is to provide information and context, foremost on the scheduling of this hearing. As you will see, I addressed additional matters that are being raised in connection to the PW Digital Gateway.

While my opinion letter has been kept in its entirety, I did divide it below into areas of content for the reader. I have also included two visual representations and a few key details of the amendment. The importance and positive impacts from this project for our County as a whole and those who reside all across it, is significant and why I believe it is essential to keep you properly informed.

In Service,

Chair Ann Wheeler

The forthcoming rezoning of the Digital Gateway along the Pageland Lane corridor has sparked discussions from some in our community. The project is currently scheduled for a hearing before the Prince William Board of County Supervisors on Nov. 21. This fact has unfortunately given rise to false narratives and misinformation that warrant clarification. 

The decision to schedule the hearing was prompted by an email from the applicant, which was sent after the one-year time limit set both by Virginia law and county ordinance expired. Contrary to certain assertions by a supervisor, the application had always been poised for consideration by year-end. The applicant’s email said: 

“The QTS North and South Rezoning applications were formally accepted for processing on July 11, 2022 (the applications were submitted well before this official acceptance to undergo quality control). I’ve attached the official Prince William County acceptance notifications. You are cognizant of the one-year limitation on processing zoning applications, as dictated by both the Virginia Code … as well as your own ordinance … requiring conclusion of County review within one year of the date a rezoning is initiated. Both cases are now past this time frame.”

The applicant requested by law to be heard as soon as possible. The case must first be heard by the county planning commission, so the requested board hearing date was set a full four months in the future. It is standard for the applicant to continue addressing the staff comments on the rezoning applications, which are currently on their fourth submission. The schedule for the planning commission has not yet been solidified. 

The Digital Gateway is the largest proposed economic development project in Prince William County’s history, representing billions of dollars of investment. The initial estimate by county staff of tax revenue brought in by this project at full buildout was over $400 million annually, which will no doubt increase now that the board has significantly increased the tax rate on the data centers in recent years. The applicants will pay for the extension of water/sewer services, as well as the road improvements.

It's crucial to address misconceptions surrounding the project's impact on our water supply. The county board engaged with four experts – the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Fairfax County Water Authority, the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, and Virginia Tech’s Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Lab – in an extensive presentation. One of the topics covered was the impact of development such as the Digital Gateway on the Occoquan Watershed.  

During that meeting, held in June 2022, it was continually stated that the Occoquan Reservoir would not be impacted by a single project, and that the two-thirds of Prince William County is in the Occoquan Watershed. The proposed project is a tiny portion of the overall watershed that spans multiple counties, and Prince William County has developed soundly over the last 30 years. I urge you to watch the presentations here, starting at the 6-hour mark. 

The board later voted to participate in a larger study of the impact of longer-term development on the Occoquan Watershed, which is now underway. But that study was never expected to be done in one year’s time and is not used for projections or to evaluate specific projects.  

Regrettably, despite these clarifications, certain supervisors have propagated incorrect information with respect to the watershed, capitalizing on unfounded fears. Such actions must be called out, as they undermine informed decision-making.

I also find it necessary to address personal allegations. False claims that I had any benefit from the Digital Gateway project are baseless. I have not personally benefited in any way from this project. My support has always been to bring commercial development into the county, ending the overwhelming reliance on the residential tax base. We have finally begun to achieve this end with this year’s budget, which has the first average flat tax bill in 14 years.

Some opposition to this project appears rooted in a desire to impede our County's social and economic progress achieved over the past few years. Coalescing people around fighting a change in land use is one way to do this.  

As we strive to revitalize our local economy post-pandemic, we cannot afford to obstruct possible opportunities that fortify our commercial tax base and deliver stable, well-paying employment. This must be done in legal and well-considered manner. The Digital Gateway hearing was scheduled because of the expiration of the one-year clause. Let’s unite for progress: join discussions, attend meetings, and seek reliable facts. Your engagement paves the way to a brighter future.

The PW Digital Gateway site area location in PWC is shown above. The PW Digital Gateway Land Use Plan map, as adopted by the BOCS on November 1,2022, is shown below (page 58 of the adopted plan). In addition to the 1,321 acres for technology/flex space, it consists of:

• 807 acres for parks and open space.
• 440 acres for environmental resource protection overlay.
• 9.6 acres for county historic registered site.