WOODBRIDGE, Va. — After several delays, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing and final vote on the contentious Devlin Technology Park data center project.
The rezoning proposal being heard Tuesday night would make way for a 4.2 million square foot data center development in Bristow, Va. The hearings on the project first started in early 2023.
The last time the Devlin Technology Park was discussed the meeting went on until 3 a.m. the following day, and opponents are gearing up for another long night of testimonies.
Some homeowners like Bethany Kelley have been strong opponents of the project that would be built in a 269-acre area surrounded by schools and homes.
"Stanley Martin is supposed to build communities, and they have an option to put in a community but instead they're going to drop in a data centers there and destroy the communities all around it," Kelley told WUSA9.
If the data centers were to be built in her neighborhood, Kelley who works as a realtor in Prince William County says the financial impact on home values is still unclear. She does however support the construction of more homes amid a housing shortage.
The land being considered for the Devlin Technology Park Project is currently approved for single-family homes.
After 17 years in Bristow, Kelley says her family is considering leaving the area, and she says other neighbors are following suit.
Opponents of the project say the final decision should be made by the incoming board of Supervisors that is set to take office in January and not during the lame-duck session.
Months of frustration boiled over as protesters and supporters of the data center complex came face to face.
"It's a bad idea," said one person. "The county's own guiding documents describe placing industrial property next to schools, parks, or residential areas as incompatible land use and I'm not sure why we would even entertain this."
Opponents say the massive buildings will "blight" their tree-lined neighborhoods and they worry about noise and other environmental impacts.
The proposal has been recommended for approval by both the Prince William County Planning Commission and the professional planning staff. Trade unions showed up to Tuesday's meeting to say the data centers will mean thousands of jobs for workers who also live in the area.
"They're not just one-off jobs," said a union leader. "They're going to create careers, good workforce development opportunities."
The project also has gotten support from the DC-Metro Building Trades Union President Greg Akerman who told WUSA9 in a statement:
"Our thousands of members who live in Prince William County have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to work where they live. Devlin Tech Park will create thousands of family-sustaining jobs for local residents and will provide opportunities for PWC graduates to enter into meaningful careers in the construction industry."
The meeting adjourned at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday after the Board of Supervisors voted 5-3 in favor of the Devlin Technology Park.
Today, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will weigh whether or not the data centers get a waiver on air pollution.