Christina Wynne, economic development, told the Board of County Supervisors on Oct. 14 that the county can shift from recruiting every project to “strategic management” of data centers, and asked the board for direction on where Prince William County should position itself in the next phase of the industry.

The discussion, led by Wade Hu, deputy county executive for mobility, economic growth and resiliency, and Tanya Washington, director of the planning office, reviewed two decades of data center growth, new reporting from EnerGov about permitted and built facilities, and a range of land-use and regulatory options ranging from preserving the existing overlay district to eliminating it and requiring special-use permits.

The presentation aimed to give supervisors a factual baseline and options: why the overlay was created in 2016, how developers have assembled land and pushed projects beyond the overlay, and what tools exist now to steer future projects. Christina Wynne said, “The purpose of really today's work session is simple: we are hoping to have a grounded forward-looking discussion where Prince William County wants to go with data center development.”

Why it matters

Data centers are now a major land- and power-intensive industrial use in Prince William County. Staff said better data is helping the county assess how much built and permitted capacity exists and where pressure on industrial land and on surrounding neighborhoods and infrastructure is greatest. Tanya Washington reminded supervisors that the overlay’s original goals included focusing development near existing power and fiber and avoiding transmission-line conflicts.

What staff reported

- Tracking and definitions: Development Services retrofitted EnerGov so staff can now report on completed buildings, buildings operating on temporary occupancy, and permitted buildings under construction. Christina Wynne said EnerGov shows 33 completed buildings totaling about 6,800,000 square feet, while other county records list 48 operating buildings because 15 operate under temporary occupancy permits without a final certificate of occupancy.

- Pipeline and entitlements: Staff reported roughly 31 additional permitted or approved buildings totaling about 9,800,000 square feet in the pipeline, and an entitlement total that can overstate remaining capacity because earlier entitlements that have been partially built remain on the books.

- Historic buildout: A 2022 consultant analysis (Camoin) shows data center projects historically build out about 30–45% of their approved floor-area ratios, which staff said tempers the headline entitlement totals but does not remove development pressure.

- Market effects: Staff said developers assembled smaller parcels into larger campuses, driving up land values and concentrating ownership. Growth since 2020 has been driven by cloud demand and, more recently, large processing needs for AI and quantum computing.

Options and regulatory levers discussed

Staff laid out a menu of land-use approaches for the board to consider: keep the existing Data Center Opportunity Zone overlay and refine standards; modify the overlay’s boundaries or design standards; create a new overlay targeted to specific employment areas; or eliminate the overlay and require special-use permits or rezoning outside a smaller set of industrial zones. Tanya Washington emphasized the overlay is a zoning tool and that removing it would not end the county’s need to decide where data centers should be allowed and what conditions should attach.

Supervisor positions and questions

Supervisors pressed staff on multiple themes: power availability and routing (substations and transmission lines), whether incentives should be tied to sustainability and community benefits, how to protect existing industrial businesses from being priced out, and how the county can prioritize advanced manufacturing and life sciences alongside data centers.

- Supervisor Gordy urged stricter siting and limiting new data centers to heavy industrial areas with buffers from residences and schools, and proposed a one-quarter-mile separation from homes and schools for future projects.

- Supervisor Bodie asked how removing data centers from the county’s “targeted industry” list would affect staff engagement with applicants; staff replied that removing the designation would reduce early engagement and market intelligence but would not by itself stop projects.

- Supervisor Bailey and others asked how data centers can support equitable local benefits — workforce training, supplier networks and community investments — and whether incentives can be structured to favor projects that deliver jobs, sustainability innovation or supplier growth.

Staff commitments and next steps

Staff noted an active body of work already underway: a zoning ordinance update, a design-and-construction standards manual revision, the county noise ordinance review, a boundary analysis driven by board directives and technical studies, and the EnerGov reporting improvements and a forthcoming public GIS data layer showing approved, pending and built projects.

Tanya Washington summarized that detailed analysis will be required if the board wants to proceed with any of the options under consideration. She noted earlier board directives (since 2021) to study the overlay and to evaluate noise and other regulatory changes, and she said staff will return with more refined recommendations once supervisors provide clearer policy direction.

Quotes

“The Overlay District was created in 2016,” Tanya Washington said, summarizing the zoning history and why the overlay initially focused development in areas with existing infrastructure. Christina Wynne warned, “Two things can be true at the same time,” describing the overlay as both a market incentive and a planning tool.

Ending

Supervisors did not take a formal policy vote on the overlay or zoning changes during the work session; the item remained at the discussion-and-direction stage. Staff said it will take specific board guidance to narrow options for regulation, mapping and incentives and will return with analysis that reflects the board’s priorities for sustainability, jobs, and land-use protection for existing industrial uses.

Votes at a glance

— No formal vote to change overlay or zoning taken during this session. Staff will return with analyses and draft language if the board provides direction to proceed.