World Courant
County supervisors in northern Virginia authorized the Digital Gateway mission, one of many world’s largest knowledge middle tasks, with a 4-3 vote.The mission, spanning 2,000 acres within the western a part of Prince William County, confronted neighborhood opposition throughout a 24-hour public listening to.Prince William County anticipates that the information facilities will generate lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} yearly in tax income.
County supervisors in northern Virginia authorized one of many world’s largest knowledge middle tasks after a public listening to that ran via the evening and lasted greater than 24 hours.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3, with one abstention, in favor of the Digital Gateway mission, which might deliver as many as 37 knowledge facilities over about 2,000 acres within the western a part of the county, not removed from Manassas Nationwide Battlefield.
The ultimate vote got here Wednesday afternoon, 27 hours after the general public listening to first started Tuesday morning.
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The mission drew vital neighborhood opposition from residents involved in regards to the environmental impression of the mission, together with noise, the necessity for electrical energy and high-voltage transmission traces, and the chance that it might harm views of the battlefield.
The development of a Microsoft knowledge middle is proven in Aldie, VA. As the information middle trade expands its footprint within the state, usually constructing large business constructions close to residential neighborhoods, communities voice their issues. (Photograph by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Put up through Getty Photos)
The mission additionally had supporters who touted the profit to the county’s tax base. Builders of the mission sought to allay issues with guarantees to construct neighborhood trails and parks and mitigate environmental issues.
The vote in favor of the Digital Gateway got here regardless of a advice from the county planning fee that the mission be rejected.
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The deciding vote in favor of the mission got here from outgoing Board of Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler, who misplaced her reelection bid within the Democratic main to an information middle opponent.
The scope of the mission was modified barely in Wednesday’s vote to limit the parcel closest to the battlefield.
Information facilities, which home the computer systems and servers essential to facilitate cloud computing and trendy web use, have confronted backlash from neighbors as they proliferate throughout the nation. Opposition has been acute in northern Virginia, a most popular website for knowledge facilities due to the area’s proximity to the web infrastructure that has traditionally been clustered right here.
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Business advocates say they’ve labored exhausting to scale back the environmental impression of the facilities, and native governments have turned the information facilities into money cows. Loudoun County, which neighbors Prince William and has lengthy been an information middle hub, now attracts 30% of its normal fund price range from knowledge facilities.
Prince William County tasks the information facilities will generate lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} yearly in tax income.
Final 12 months, the board of supervisors cleared the trail for Wednesday’s vote by rezoning the land after a public listening to that lasted greater than 12 hours.
