Henry Hill at Manassas National Battlefield Park in Prince William County Virginia
QTS eventually withdrew its appeal on 2 July 2026 and announced that it would terminate the Digital Gateway project. Prince William County said in an update published on 5 August 2026 that the three rezoning approvals were void and that the properties had reverted to their original zoning districts. The decision ended the proposal after years of planning, public controversy and litigation. The termination of the Digital Gateway project does not permanently rule out future development proposals on the site. The comprehensive plan amendment, however, remained in place.
The Prince William Digital Gateway, proposed along Pageland Lane in Prince William County, would have brought up to 37 data-centre buildings to approximately 2,100 acres near Manassas National Battlefield Park. In March 2026, the Virginia Court of Appeals upheld a ruling invalidating the project’s three rezonings over defective public notices. QTS Data Centers later withdrew its appeal, ending the proposal in July 2026.
The disagreement was therefore not limited to the question of construction near a historic site.
Developers said it would bring tens of billions of dollars in capital investment, substantial annual tax revenue and thousands of long-term jobs. A major data-centre campus planned beside a historic Civil War battlefield in Virginia has been abandoned after years of community opposition and legal challenges. Residents, landowners and preservation groups challenged the project’s approvals, arguing that the development threatened the area’s historic character and raised broader concerns about large-scale infrastructure. Opposition came from local residents, landowners and organisations concerned about the proposed campus’s effect on the surrounding area. Critics raised questions about the development’s scale, its proximity to the battlefield and the possible consequences for the rural landscape. Environmental and infrastructure concerns also formed part of the wider debate surrounding the project. The American Battlefield Trust was among the groups challenging the development. Its opposition focused on protecting the historic landscape near Manassas National Battlefield Park. Residents also became involved in legal action against the county and the developers, arguing that the approvals had not followed the public-notice requirements established by law. The project had supporters as well. It also involved competing views about economic development, land use and the future of data-centre infrastructure in Northern Virginia.
County approves the project after a 27-hour hearing
The approvals followed an earlier comprehensive plan amendment adopted by the county in November 2022. In August 2025, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly A. Because the county had failed to comply with the applicable public-notice requirements, irving ruled that the rezonings were void.
That amendment established a policy framework for potential data-centre development in the Digital Gateway area, while the later rezoning decisions addressed the specific properties involved in the project.
The rezonings were necessary to allow the proposed data-centre development on land that had previously been zoned for other uses. The notices were required to be published in accordance with state law and the county’s zoning ordinance before the public hearing and vote.