Stop the Prince William Digital Gateway and Protect Manassas Battlefield

UPDATE: On February 24, 2026, the Virginia Court of Appeals held a hearing on the two parallel cases brought against Prince William County and developers over the rezoning vote. Although no ruling was issued from the bench, we are thankful to have had our arguments heard in court and await the judges' decision. Read more about the hearing here. 

In December 2023, Prince William County’s board of supervisors approved plans for the massive Digital Gateway complex, a data center campus in the narrow corridor between the western border of Manassas National Battlefield Park and Conway Robinson State Forest. After a 27-hour meeting that included public comment from hundreds of area residents, the final vote in favor was 4-3, with one abstention. 

Explore the potential impacts of this disastrous project  

But we weren’t done fighting. On January 12, 2024, the American Battlefield Trust joined nine local residents in filing a lawsuit that asks the Circuit Court for Prince William County to overturn the trio of rezonings granted in violation of Virginia Code by the lame duck County Board of Supervisors. A half-dozen other leading conservation organizations weighed in on the case through a "friend of the court" filing. Although, a circuit court judge initially ruled in favor of the developers demurrer filing, we have elevated the matter to the Virginia Court of Appeals.

On August 7, 2025, Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving ruled in favor of the Oak Valley Homeowners Association, which had filed its own lawsuit. This overturned the rezoning as having been approved with insufficient review of the proposed development, given inadequate public notice and included unlawful waivers of key analyses.  The County and developers appealed this ruling.

Because of similar aspects at issue in the two cases, the Court of Appeals determined to hold a combined hearing for oral arguments, which took place on February 24, 2026. No verdict was issued from the bench and we eagerly await a ruling from the three-member panel of judges. 

Help us show the depth of public opposition to what would be the largest data center campus in the world by signing the appropriate letter.