Dear Friends,
As some of you may know, I live off Pageland Lane. Robyn and I and the kids moved out here four years ago and have loved every day of it. Like many who live along Pageland Lane, we were expecting to spend the rest of our lives living here and enjoy having our kids and grandkids visit this special part of Prince William County.
But now, with the consideration of Pageland Lane becoming a “data center alley”, the likes of which our region has never seen, this has put everything into turmoil. So, this is why I wanted to reach out to you directly.
As it has been reported in the local news, our neighborhood decided to take an action that we never contemplated four years ago when we moved here. My neighborhood faced a choice of two paths forward: remain an island of houses in a sea of data centers or submit an application along with the rest of the expanded study area to amend our comprehensive plan designation.
I have fought throughout my time on the Board as your Gainesville Representative to defend our Rural Crescent. For decades, the land use tool that had bi-partisan support and brought people together throughout our county has been under assault with the new majority of the Board who see it for its economic development opportunities. The last 18 months have seen land use policy turn into a partisan political issue. In all my time on the Board, the policy view of the District Supervisor was always respected…but that seems to have gone out the window.
Every step of the way, the majority of this Board has voted to make data centers in our rural areas a likely reality. I was hopeful we could stop it when I voted against the Independent Hill small area plan that opened up the rural area to data centers, but we lost the vote 5-3. I was hopeful we could stop it when I voted against the analysis that would pave the way to open up our rural areas for sewer, but we lost the vote 5-3. And I was hopeful we could stop it when I voted against the initiation of the comprehensive plan amendment along Pageland Lane, but unfortunately, we lost that vote again 5-3.
With the passage of Res. No. 21-445, found here: 21-445-20Jul-Initiate #CPA2021-00004, Digital Gateway (pwcgov.org). At the July 20, 2021 BOCS meeting, our home was drawn into an expanded study area without us ever applying for it. The specific resolve states, “a friendly amendment was made and approved to enhance the study area to include the entire corridor between Route 29 and Sudley Road in order to review in a more holistic manner (traffic, land use, and environmental concerns), look carefully at the areas directly abutting Conway Robinson Memorial State Forest and the Manassas National Battlefield Park, and coordinate the review with the open space corridor concepts of the rural area (native plant buffering and sustainability) to preserve as much of the area as possible.”
With that action by the Board on a 5-3 vote, the assault on the Rural Crescent was in our front yard, our back yard and every neighbor we had was facing the same reality of being in this expanded study area.
I strongly believe in the public policy that we should have an area of the County that is protected from further development. I have taken many votes over the years to protect this area and will continue to do so moving forward.
Now, with that threat, homeowners along Pageland Lane are trying to figure out what to do about the biggest investment they have – their home. They don’t want to be an island among data centers.
Robyn and I discussed and prayed for weeks on if we would join our neighborhood or not. I can honestly say, this was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made. We knew many people would be very disappointed in our decision if we joined. But in the end, we felt that we were literally in a no-win situation, so we joined our neighbors in agreeing to submit an application. Last week, Robyn and I became the last signers in our neighborhood. If the neighborhood was going to become a sea of data centers, we didn’t want that for our family.
The majority of the Board has pursued data centers in the Rural Area since April of this year. In my decade serving on the Board, I rarely took land use votes along party lines. Every application we considered had bi-partisan support both ways. This partisan approach is new and unfortunate. It has thrown my family’s forever home into a source of turmoil, not refuge. Please don’t let the decision Robyn and I were forced to make cause you to change your mind on this issue. Supervisor Lawson (R-Brentsville) has been gracious to extend her help to those people in the Gainesville District who want their voices heard on this specific topic. To reach Supervisor Lawson, please call her office at 703-792-6190 or email her at jlawson@pwcgov.org.
Ten years ago, when I first asked for your vote to represent you on the Board of County Supervisors, I never imagined I would be in this situation. I just wanted to serve my community, fight for lower taxes, improve our infrastructure on our roads and in our schools and parks, and ensure transparency in government. I never imagined the Board of County Supervisors would consider opening our rural areas to data centers and put the future of hundreds of homes and the Pageland Lane community in disarray…but unfortunately, that is where we are despite my best efforts over the last 7 months to fight against it.
Serving you is one of the greatest honors of my life, and you have my word that regardless of what happens, I will continue to fight for lower taxes, better roads, schools, and parks, and ensuring transparency in government.
Sincerely,
Pete Candland, Supervisor
Gainesville Magisterial District