- County supervisors in northern Virginia licensed the Virtual Gateway undertaking, some of the international’s biggest information heart initiatives, with a 4-3 vote.
- The undertaking, spanning 2,000 acres within the western a part of Prince William County, confronted group opposition all over a 24-hour public listening to.
- Prince William County anticipates that the knowledge facilities will generate loads of tens of millions of greenbacks once a year in tax earnings.
County supervisors in northern Virginia licensed some of the international’s biggest information heart initiatives after a public listening to that ran in the course of the night time and lasted greater than 24 hours.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted 4-3, with one abstention, in prefer of the Virtual Gateway undertaking, which might deliver as many as 37 information facilities over about 2,000 acres within the western a part of the county, now not some distance from Manassas Nationwide Battlefield.
The overall vote got here Wednesday afternoon, 27 hours after the general public listening to first started Tuesday morning.
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The undertaking drew important group opposition from citizens involved in regards to the environmental have an effect on of the undertaking, together with noise, the will for electrical energy and high-voltage transmission strains, and the chance that it could injury perspectives of the battlefield.
The development of a Microsoft information heart is proven in Aldie, VA. As the knowledge heart business expands its footprint within the state, ceaselessly construction huge industrial constructions close to residential neighborhoods, communities voice their considerations. (Photograph by way of Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Submit by means of Getty Photographs)
The undertaking additionally had supporters who touted the convenience to the county’s tax base. Builders of the undertaking sought to allay considerations with guarantees to construct group trails and parks and mitigate environmental considerations.
The vote in prefer of the Virtual Gateway got here in spite of a advice from the county making plans fee that the undertaking be rejected.
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The deciding vote in prefer of the undertaking got here from outgoing Board of Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler, who misplaced her reelection bid within the Democratic number one to a knowledge heart opponent.
The scope of the undertaking was once changed somewhat in Wednesday’s vote to limit the parcel closest to the battlefield.
Knowledge facilities, which space the computer systems and servers essential to facilitate cloud computing and trendy web use, have confronted backlash from neighbors as they proliferate around the nation. Opposition has been acute in northern Virginia, a most popular website online for information facilities on account of the area’s proximity to the web infrastructure that has traditionally been clustered right here.
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Business advocates say they’ve labored arduous to scale back the environmental have an effect on of the facilities, and native governments have became the knowledge facilities into money cows. Loudoun County, which neighbors Prince William and has lengthy been a knowledge heart hub, now attracts 30% of its common fund finances from information facilities.
Prince William County initiatives the knowledge facilities will generate loads of tens of millions of greenbacks once a year in tax earnings.
Remaining yr, the board of supervisors paved the way for Wednesday’s vote by way of rezoning the land after a public listening to that lasted greater than 12 hours.
