The integrity of Prince William County’s Rural Crescent is currently threatened by three major land use decisions:
1. “PW Digital Gateway” and near completion of the Bi-County Parkway – The “Prince William Digital Gateway” is a Comprehensive Plan Amendment for an industrial corridor and major road expansion along Pageland Lane in western Prince William County which would designate nearly 2,100 acres for up to 27.6 million square feet of data center development. This proposal would convert farms and residential homes directly adjacent to Manassas National Battlefield Park to a complex of data centers larger than the entire Data Center Alley near Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County.
2. Substantial changes to the Comprehensive Plan – The County is currently in the midst of a significant update to its Comprehensive Plan. The draft land use and sanitary sewer plans for the update would effectively eliminate the Rural Crescent by designating a substantial amount of agricultural land for suburban/industrial development and permitting the extension of water and sewer lines throughout virtually the entire County. The plan also includes a large new industrial area along Rt. 28 just west of Nokesville on the Fauquier/Prince William County line.
3. Expansion of the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay – The County is currently considering an expansion of the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay, which designates where data centers would be most appropriate and permits the use in a streamlined manner. The County has repeatedly approved data centers outside of the overlay, despite continued reporting that there is already plenty of land in the current overlay district to accommodate data center development. Already on track to overtake data center development in Loudoun County (even without the approval of the “PW Digital Gateway”), we can expect that the overlay will be officially expanded into the rural area.
Why a Rural Crescent?
Just over two decades ago, when Prince William County was experiencing a period of rapid urban development, the County’s Board of Supervisors recognized that there is something precious in the rural character of the region, and set out to protect it. They established an Urban Growth Boundary to direct growth and development to areas of the County where existing infrastructure (e.g. water, sewer, and transmission lines) already exists to support it.
The result? Today, the long-standing rural area known as the Rural Crescent safeguards key resources for Prince William County and other Northern Virginia residents. It preserves historic resources, offers favorite destinations for recreation and agri-tourism, such as Manassas National Battlefield and Prince William Forest Parks, and provides key ecological services such as watershed and habitat protection.
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