Here is what county leaders, datacenter representatives, and landowners have to say about the PW Digital Gateway after the vote at the BOCS meeting:
Wheeler: “I’m excited for the futures. Sustainability is not about doing nothing. Sustainability is about doing things well” “This is a bold plan and it will change the landscape of Prince William County,”
Franklin: "We need to all come together and take an actual interest in the history of this county, particularly as it relates to African American history, Native American history ... No one person owns the history of this county. We all should own and partake in the history of our county"
Bailey: During County Staff's presentation, Bailey asked Staff to explain the backstory about the BOCS directive removing the Bi-County Parkway from further consideration; reiterating that the BCP will not resurface as a result of the PWDG: "I had a townhall and ... we talked about the Bi-County Parkway. I want you to ... give the back story about the directive that was followed to get us to take it off of this project."
Boddye: The project “gives us a comprehensive road map to transform a stretch of land into a real economic engine for the entire county.”
Angry: “I want to raise our commercial tax base, and I noticed that doesn’t happen overnight,” said Angry. “I could be out of office when all this money starts flying in. But that’s the point. We’ve got to do something. We’ve got to move forward and take that shot, and this is a shot I see that we can take to get us where we need to be.”
Christina Winn, executive director of the county’s economic development: said that the data center market isn’t oversaturated in Northern Virginia because 99.2% of all data centers are pre-leased before site plans are submitted. “This industry is different than what you would see in any of these other industries that would be saturated,”
Chris Curtis, senior vice president of development and acquisitions for Compass: said in a statement. “The corridor is the best location in PWC and, quite frankly, one of the best locations I’ve seen in the world for data centers…. “We look forward to continuing the review process established by the County.”
Nick Blessing, director of public policy for QTS, during the public comment period: “This is a unique opportunity where Prince William can set the new benchmark for strategically located, aesthetic, cohesive and environmentally sensitive development that provides for the economic advancement of the entire county,”
Mary Ann Ghadban, landowner: “We’ve always been the junk room for Northern Virginia. … It’s time for Prince William County to prosper,” Ghadban said. “Now, we’ve come up with a great solution for Prince William and for ourselves.” Ghadban grew up in Prince William County. She believes this proposal is crucial to Prince William keeping up with the region's growth and meeting its residents’ needs, which she highlighted as more jobs, affordable housing and better health care infrastructure. “Just like any other business, you need a way to fund it. We don’t have a way to fund it,” Ghadban said. “The Prince William Digital Gateway will be that source of revenue.”
Read More:
After marathon meeting, plan for Prince William data centers moves forward - WTOP News
Prince William County board approves controversial data center project - The Washington Post