Remarks to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors: March 1, 2022
My name is Bill Wright and I live in Gainesville. I am here to speak out against the Prince William Digital Gateway.
On February 17th,
Inside NOVA reported that neighboring Loudoun County’s Transportation
and Land-Use Subcommittee had decisively rejected a proposal for the 2,000-acre
“Dulles Cloud South” proposal just north of the Prince William County
line. A February 20th BisNow article reported extensively on
the shifting wind against excessive data center development. Since our supervisors
seem to view Loudoun County as their model, maybe this glimpse into the future
should give you reason to reconsider your foolish plans. Loudoun is
already facing a $60 million budget shortfall, largely due to putting too many
eggs in the data center basket, ironically just as Prince William is touting
data centers as a panacea.
On February 24th, the Prince William Times reported that the immensely unpopular Bi-County Parkway had been added back into the Comprehensive plan at the request of Chair Ann Wheeler. A recording of the February 23rd Planning Commission meeting where this was revealed indicated that Chair Wheeler had made this request back in January 2021. The resurrection of this proposal that has been soundly rebuked by the citizens is precisely what critics of the Prince William Digital Gateway had predicted. Chair Wheeler has been strangely silent on the issue throughout the ensuing year, despite it being raised multiple times before, including as recently as a Prince William Times article on December 2nd.
How much bad news do you intend to cook up behind closed doors, keep under wraps and then spring on an unsuspecting public with little time to react before you railroad it through? Do you really think your schemes are going unnoticed? We know you had foreknowledge of the QTS plan to develop outside the overlay district in contravention of your own land use policies, but didn’t see fit to share it with the public until it was revealed in a news story on February 8th. In fact, you were actively courting QTS while telling the public you were “studying” whether expanding the overlay district was a good idea.
Oh, and we’re going to a Community Engagement meeting on March 3rd to discuss the potential overlay district expansion without a proposed map, design guidelines or sustainability guidelines. What are we supposed to do at that meeting? Card tricks and bird calls?
Are you starting to get the idea why we give up our leisure time to come here and try to get through to you? It is in the fervent hope that enough of you will feel the legitimate ire of your constituents and act responsibly. I started this fight with concern about my neighborhood. It has quickly been transcended by concern about my government. Please take stock of who you are serving and to what end.
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