Board approves Wellington Glen data-center proffer amendment over neighborhood objections

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors on April 1 approved a proffer amendment permitting a two‑building data‑center campus at the Wellington Glen site near Sudley Manor Drive, voting 5–3 after hours of public comment and debate.

The applicant, SDC Capital Partners, scaled back an earlier, larger proposal and offered new proffers to address neighbors’ concerns: maximum building height of 65 feet with a separate 10‑foot allowance for rooftop mechanical equipment, a lower-than‑typical floor‑area ratio (about 0.35 FAR), additional tree conservation and reforestation acreage, commitments on building fenestration and 30% glass along principal facades, and a noise threshold capped at 50 decibels at adjacent residential property lines. The developer also proffered traffic and construction routing measures and removed data‑center entitlement from two adjacent land bays (H and I) previously associated with the larger Wellington Glen approval. The applicant said it will source power via an off‑site substation served by underground distribution rather than overhead lines visible from neighborhoods.

Why it matters: the vote permits more data‑center square footage on the site than earlier approvals allowed but adds multiple design and…