The Prince William County Board of Supervisors this week gave a developer permission to build a taller data center near Independent Hill than previously allowed.
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The Prince William County Board of Supervisors this week gave a developer permission to build a taller data center near Independent Hill than previously allowed.
The property, known as Parsons Business Park, sits on 90 acres at 14237 and 14209 Dumfries Road in the central county area and is located within the county’s data center overlay zone, which allows for the development of a technology hub.
Most of the site was already zoned to house the data center. But a new permit approved by the board allows the developer, Parsons Business Park LLC, to build a data center building up to 85 feet tall to accommodate additional space for computing. construction is permitted. Previously, only buildings up to 75 feet in height were allowed.
In the past, more than half of Parsons Farm’s property was used to operate a garden center and landscaping services. In 2019, the property was rezoned for development as an industrial business park with the potential for a variety of uses, but nothing was built.
The board amended the zoning designation of the land bay on the property to permit heavy industrial uses, and the adjoining six-acre property at 7901 Six Towers Road for agricultural use to permit a fulfillment center and data center. It was rezoned for heavy industry. The Six Towers Road property is also included within the Data Center Overlay District.
Parsons won’t allow it to be built, even though the company has asked for increased allowances for higher-rise data centers.
But county planners suggested there was good reason to believe it would be built.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be completely a data center,” county planner Scott Meyer said at Tuesday’s meeting. “But in our opinion, if they’re doing this, why can’t it be a data center?”
The developer also did not provide a specific site layout, making it unclear where heavy industrial uses would be built on the site.
The application was initially rejected by the Prince William Planning Commission, citing concerns about the buffer between the proposed development and Dumfries Road. But staffers said setbacks later proposed by the developer led them to recommend approval.
The change was supported by Democratic Occoquan Supervisor Kenny Boddy, Speaker Deshundra Jefferson, Woodbridge Supervisor Maragret Franklin, Neabsco Supervisor Victor Angry, and Republican Coles Supervisor Yesri Vega. It was approved.
Vega and Jefferson, who often oppose data center development, voted in favor of the project because it falls within the overlay district.
“I can confidently say this application checks all the boxes,” says Vega.
Gainesville Supervisor Bob Weir objected, saying he was concerned about the data center’s continued strain on the power grid and the developer’s lack of commitment to the plan.
“People are really starting to understand the grid, the demand, and the types of power problems we’re dealing with. [with]” Weir said, noting that Loudoun County recently refused to build a data center, in part because it would consume too much electricity.
Brentsville Supervisor Tom Gowdy (R) and Potomac Supervisor Andrea Bailey (D) were absent from the meeting and did not vote.
Mr. Gordy said he had previously scheduled the job but would have “reluctantly” voted in favor of the proposal. “We wanted to conduct a viewshed analysis to determine the true impact before making any decisions, which is something we requested and recommended we do before coming to the board,” Gordy said in an email. Ta.
Bailey did not respond to a request for comment on how he was voting.
