Prince William County Supervisor Pete Candland’s Gainesville neighborhood is next to the proposed “digital gateway” area and inside the 2,000 acres being considered for data centers under the county’s planned expansion of its data center overlay district.
Prince William County resident and developer Mary Ann Ghadban’s initial request to consider 600 acres along Pageland Lane for future data centers has exploded to a review of 2,000 acres in the rural crescent. The area includes Candland’s neighborhood, Catharpin Farm Estates, which has filed a comprehensive plan amendment to destroy their homes and community to allow industry to come in and plow down their lives because they don’t want to live next to industry or the proposed Bi-County Parkway that might come with it.
There is no public water or sewer in this region, and new power lines might have to be built! Pete’s community doesn’t want to be pushed out and have their land taken for the Bi-County Parkway and industrial expansion.
Families move to the rural crescent for a country road life, and this board of supervisors is hell bent on destroying their dreams and forcing residents to relocate because of their ill-thought-out visions that only a handful of people want!
The existing overlay covers around 8,700 acres. By comparison, in Loudoun County—the largest data center market in the world—data centers currently occupy about 2,000 acres, according to the Piedmont Environmental Council.
Supervisor Candland needs to resign. He has recused himself from any vote on the rural crescent. He has NO vote and NO voice and cannot represent his community!
It is a sad situation that Board of County Supervisors Chair Ann Wheeler and those in favor of the destruction of the watershed – which provides public water to 2 million residents, as well as the environment, air quality and quality of life — support the Bi-County Parkway, which would bring traffic like that on Interstate 66 to Va. 234 all the way to Interstate 95. They have put Supervisor Candland in this predicament!
Thank you for your service, Pete, but do the right thing! All citizens need a voice and vote!
Lori Fenn
Coles District