The application for the 2.000-acre Dulles Cloud South data center in Prince William, Virginia has been rejected by county officials. The county’s board of supervisors rejected the application with its advancement expected to have covered a total of 43 million sq. ft. of data center space. The Dulles Cloud South data center would have been located along Sanders Lane, Logmill Road, Sudley Road and Bull Run Creek near the Loudon County border.

Moreover, the project adds to the list of abandoned projects in the region such as the Prince William Digital Gateway project from QTS and Compass. It lays south of the proposed site. Currently zoned for residential and agricultural use, the board was requested to approve rezoning the land for industrial use (I-3). The site was also outside Prince William’s existing designated data center overlay district. This conflicted with planning as the overlay had been introduced to limit uncontrolled data center growth in the county.

Another data center marred in controversy is the Project Tango data center in Loxahatchee, Florida which has advanced to commission voting to decide its fate. A Palm Beach County judge on Tuesday denied an emergency request to halt today’s voting on the project. The move cleared the path for commissioners to deliberate on the controversial development as scheduled. However, public scrutiny on the data center is mounting as many note that much remains unanswered.

Public Opposition on the Dulles Cloud South Data Center in Prince William

Residents of Prince William County vehemently opposed the Dulles Cloud South data center in Prince William County. Its proposal sparked significant outrage as many said it is the repeat of the QTS data center opposition which took three years. Moreover, the supervisors’ meeting featured nearly six hours of public comment. County staff had recommended denial. The company behind the project is unclear. However, the application was made through services firms Stewart PLLC and Cooley LLP, with Sanders Lane Assemblage I, LLC as the contract purchaser/lessee.

Opposition was driven by heavy pushback from local residents and environmental groups regarding massive power and water demands, noise, diesel generator emissions, and the destruction of rural/agricultural land. Moreover, detractors cited the extreme strain on electrical transmission infrastructure. The massive power needs of data centers risk increased reliance on fossil-fuel backup generators during peak heat waves

Project Overview

• Project Size: 2,000 acres
• Location: Prince William County, Virginia
• Project Name: Dulles Cloud South
• Status: Rejected

Scope

• Proposed 43M sq ft data center campus
• Rezoning from residential/agricultural use
• Outside county data center overlay
• Large-scale digital infrastructure project

Project Highlights

• One of the region’s largest proposals
• Multiple data center buildings planned
• Near Loudoun County border
• Also industrial rezoning required

Reasons for Rejection

• County Board denied application
• Staff recommended denial
• Also conflict with county planning policies
• Outside approved data center zone

Community Concerns

• Strong public opposition
• Power and water demand
• Noise and also diesel emissions
• Loss of rural and agricultural land

Outlook

• Project will not move forward as proposed
• Marks another major rejected data center plan
• Also future proposals likely to face strict review
• County maintains limits on data center expansion