Prince William Board Rejects 43 Million Square Foot Data Center

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted 8-0 on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, to reject a comprehensive plan amendment for the Dulles South Innovation Center, also known as Dulles Cloud South. The proposal by Sanders Lane Assemblage I LLC would have rezoned approximately 1,940 acres of agricultural and forestry land in the Gainesville district to industrial and mixed-use, allowing for a 43-million-square-foot data center campus.

The board's decision followed a five-hour public hearing and a rejected request by the developer to defer the proceedings. County planning staff recommended denial, noting the site fell outside the designated Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District and conflicted with the county's master plan. This outcome follows previous legal battles over the similarly scaled Digital Gateway project, which was voided by the Virginia Court of Appeals.

Opponents, including U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam and State Senator Danica Roem, cited regional oversaturation, power infrastructure deficits, and environmental risks to the Occoquan headwaters and greenhouse gas goals. Local advocacy groups organized rallies in Woodbridge to protest the potential impact of diesel generators and the conversion of watersheds into impervious surfaces. Conversely, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance and some landowners supported the project, arguing it would provide significant tax revenue and infrastructure improvements for Sudley Road.