QTS Data Centers dropped its appeal and shelved its planned 2,100‑acre data‑centre campus beside Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, following the Virginia Court of Appeals’ March 31 decision that voided three rezoning approvals.
The campus, dubbed the Prince William Digital Gateway, would have covered more than 22 million square feet across up to 37 buildings – roughly the footprint of 32,000 football fields – and positioned the county as a regional tech hub. QTS, together with Compass Datacenters, projected a multibillion‑dollar investment and thousands of long‑term jobs.
Opponents, led by the American Battlefield Trust and local homeowners, sued after the county failed to publish required public‑notice ads before the December 2023 rezoning vote. Judge Kimberly A. Irving ruled the approvals invalid in August 2025, and the Court of Appeals upheld that decision in March 2026.
The project promised substantial tax revenue and economic growth, but critics argued it would mar the historic battlefield’s landscape and violate state notice laws. A former farmhand told reporters the sweeping view of the first Manassas battlefield would be lost to concrete and cables.
With the withdrawal, the county will revisit its digital gateway policy and explore alternative sites for data‑centre development. QTS has indicated it will seek a new location within the region, while the county faces a potential loss of the projected 22‑million‑square‑foot investment.