Remarks to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors: December 14, 2021

I’m Bill Wright and I live in Gainesville.  I am here to speak out against the Prince William Digital Gateway. 

I’m still trying to understand why the supervisors propose to desecrate the rural crescent instead of in placing data centers in the existing data center overlay district designed for them.  The argument that there is no available land in the overlay district is completely bogus, can be easily disproven and should not be given any further credence.  Please stop insulting our intelligence and try another angle.

Prince William County has a Planning Office, a Planning Commission, a Strategic Plan, a Comprehensive Plan and various other nice sounding entities.  Despite all this supposed planning, its citizens have no ability to plan their lives when stated intentions are regularly upended any time the County decides to abruptly shift gears to grasp at the elusive brass ring of economic development.

Once I no longer needed to commute to DC, I sought to leave the density and over-development of eastern Fairfax County in search of a more amenable location for my retirement home.  I did my research.  The fight over the routing of Dominion Energy’s power lines had recently concluded with an acceptable compromise.  The area to the east of Heritage Hunt was bordered by Conway Robinson State Forest and, beyond that, Manassas National Battlefield.  To the north was the Catharpin Creek Resource Protected Area.  To the northeast was the Little Bull Run Resource Protected Area.  The land beyond was within the Rural Crescent, prudently established by Prince William County as a buffer against the ill-effects of excessive development.  I thought I had a safe bet.

I had not counted on the gullibility of the supervisors.  The “Svengali of Pageland Lane” waltzes in and hypnotizes the Board of County Supervisors with shiny objects like the silly golden goose egg plastered all over her cheesy website.  All of a sudden, all bets are off and citizens who made prudent decisions based on prevailing conditions have the rug pulled out from under them.  If the supervisors would exercise the scrutiny their constituents demand, they would discover Svengali’s egg is really fool’s gold riddled with termites. 

I contend the supervisors have either overlooked or grossly underestimated the environmental impacts and infrastructure costs that will offset any economic value to taxpayers.  Even if a small reduction in the residential property tax is realized, the quality of life will be so diminished that the citizens you ignored will no longer live here to reap any benefit.  Those who choose to remain in your wasteland can spend their meager tax savings on bottled water, breathing apparatus and hearing protection.

I again extend an invitation to any of the supervisors to accompany me on a tour of the affected area to do your homework and learn the truth.  I promise to open your eyes and I hope to open your minds.  You will come away convinced that it is a far safer bet to achieve your aspirations for economic growth and tax revenue within the existing overlay district and without the detrimental effects to our natural and historic heritage.

Thank you.