Prince William County Board of Supervisors
1 County Complex Ct.
Prince William, VA 22192
Chair Jefferson, Vice Chair Angry, and Supervisors Bailey, Boddye, Gordy, Vega, Stewart, and LaCroix:
We, the undersigned fifteen nonprofit community and environmental conservation organizations, write to you today in firm opposition to CPA2026-00005, Quantico Ridge (formally Potomac Technology Park). This CPA proposes yet another data center project directly adjacent to another national park site in Prince William County, Prince William Forest Park. Even more concerning, the proposed development lies entirely within the Park’s legislative boundary, land designated by Congress as worthy of protection, land that could one day become wholly part of the Park. Instead, developers propose a large data center complex for Prince William County.
At approximately 15,000 acres, Prince William Forest Park, owned and operated by the National Park Service, is the largest preserved green space in the D.C. metropolitan region. It is a refuge for native plants and animals in an ever-growing region and protects the headwaters of Quantico Creek. The park boasts 37 miles of hiking trails, 21 miles of bicycle accessible roads and trails, 4 campgrounds, 5 cabin camps, 18 miles of streams, and more. In 2025, the Park welcomed 339,015 visitors who contributed $12.8 million in local economic output. For these reasons, and many more, protecting the integrity and environmental value of the Park should be of the utmost importance to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
The Quantico Ridge Comprehensive Plan Amendment is simply a revival of the former Potomac Technology Park, and our concerns remain the same. Potomac Technology Park was the first data center project ever proposed directly adjacent to a national park site in Virginia, when it was originally approved as part of the Independent Hill Small Area Plan. That plan included a carveout for a one million square foot data center campus, equivalent to five Wal-Mart Supercenters, directly adjacent to Prince William Forest Park.
Many of the organizations singed onto this letter opposed that proposal in 2021 due to its negative environmental impacts, and the project itself raised concerns about unchecked data center development and its environmental and community impacts. Now, years later, our concerns are no longer hypothetical and our coalition then has grown into a statewide movement of concerned environmental and community organizations. Every day more studies confirm that the industry’s expansion is leading to increases in our power bills, diminished air quality, and straining our local and regional power and water infrastructure. Foremost, data centers do not belong next to national parks. Some places are simply too special and too important for industrial development. Beyond those concerns, the growing environmental concerns of unchecked data center expansion should give every elected official pause and cause for concern for every new project proposed. Only the best, most sustainable projects should advance, and a massive project inside of a national park is anything but sustainable.
The Quantico Ridge CPA initiation provides you, the current Board of Supervisors, with a unique opportunity, the chance for a do-over and a chance to get it right. We urge this Board of Supervisors to send a clear signal that Prince William County does not support data center development next to national parks. We urge you to reject this CPA initiation and close the door on this idea once and for all.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any one of us with any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
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Kyle Hart Stewart Schwartz Emily Thompson Ashley Studholme Elena Schlossberg Pat Calvert Julie Bolthouse, AICP Tziporah Feldman |
Nancy Vehrs Claudia Thompson-Deahl Will Glasco Douglas Stewart Jen Cole Renee Grebe Tom Blackburn |