Preservation battles are often long and difficult – and can be focused on process and procedure as much as historic significance. That’s why, when persistence and patience pay off, the victory is all the more meaningful.
Opponents of the effort to build what would be the world’s largest data center complex, located on part of the historic Second Manassas Battlefield, scored a major victory on August 7. Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving ruled in favor of the Oak Valley Homeowners Association’s claims that a lame-duck Board of Supervisors in Prince William County improperly approved the rezoning for the Prince William Digital Gateway.
This ruling was on a separate lawsuit proceeding in parallel to one filed by the American Battlefield Trust and other preservation advocates. However, it focused on many of the same issues we are prepared to argue before the Virginia Court of Appeals, lending strength to our case. And a one-two punch from multiple levels of the legal system would be doubly devastating to the deep-pocketed data center companies we are fighting.
It’s also important to remember that, even if the ruling stands, it does not ultimately prevent all data center construction. Instead, it voids the 2023 rezoning vote and requires the developers to begin the process again. However, since community outrage over this development proposal and its approval process was so high, significant turnover on the Board of Supervisors may yield a more preservation-friendly outcome. With local advocates better mobilized and voters more educated about the far-reaching and cumulative impacts of data centers, backroom dealing and clandestine processes will not stand.
We are deeply grateful to the Coalition to Protect Prince William County and other nonprofit partners for their support of our legal challenge, as well as the Oak Valley Homeowners Association for undertaking their own legal opposition to this improper rezoning. The ability to have both cases considered independently has proven to be a true blessing, and Oak Valley’s courageous stand is symbolic of the Trust’s philosophy that we are always stronger working together in meaningful coalitions with members who approach the threat with their own unique expertise and angle.
Please ensure you are following the Trust on social media and subscribed to our Action Alert emails to always have the latest updates on this and other preservation battles.
Sincerely,
Jim Campi
Chief Policy and Communications Officer
American Battlefield Trust
P.S. Help us continue the struggle against the Prince William Digital Gateway and other threats to our historic battlefields. Your gift today will help us save these national treasures from the backhoe and bulldozer.