The Prince William Digital Gateway data center campus has suffered another setback after a Virginia court again blocked the project.

The Virginia Court of Appeals blocked construction of the proposed campus after ruling that the county had moved forward without proper public notice. The decision holds up a previous court ruling against the project.

A three-judge panel ruled unanimously to side with the American Battlefield Trust, the Oak Valley Homeowners Association, and local landowners who challenged the rezonings.

QTS and Compass had filed to develop thousands of acres of greenfield land in Manassas for a massive data center development. The companies were given the green light for the 2,100-acre, multi-gigawatt development in December 2023 after a marathon 27-hour public meeting.

The decision, however, was challenged by local opposition groups and landowners, arguing that public hearing advertisements in the Washington Post didn’t comply with Virginia statute or county ordinance for proper notice, and that materials relevant to the application were made available to the public at the time of the initial ad. Judges agreed, and the project’s zoning was revoked last year.

DCD has reached out to Compass and QTS for comment.

Prince William County officials told local news outlets: “The county is in the process of reviewing the decision of the court. The county attorney will then provide legal advice to the board. Since the decision can be appealed within 30 days, and therefore is not yet final, this is still active litigation. The county’s policy is that the county does not comment on active litigation.”

Groups opposed to the proposed development celebrated the latest decision.

American Battlefield Trust president David Duncan said: “The Court of Appeals agreed with the position we have taken for years: the County did not properly advertise this nightmarish proposal or make its text available to the public, despite the extraordinary public impact that the project would have. Instead, the County rushed to judgment, because they knew support on the Board for this mega-project was eroding.”

“This is a huge win for local communities, national parks, and the environment! PEC has been concerned about the huge potential impacts of the rezoning of thousands of acres of land adjacent to the Manassas National Battlefield Park and Conway Robinson State Forest, as well as private lands with significant environmental, historic, scenic, and cultural resources nearby,” said Chris Miller, president of The Piedmont Environmental Council.

Kyle Hart, National Parks Conservation Association senior Mid-Atlantic program manager, said: “No one goes to a national park to see data centers. We applaud today’s ruling, which affirms that the Prince William Board of Supervisors did not follow the law in their efforts to fast-track development of this ill-conceived, destructive project. Constructing and operating this massive data center complex would have devastating consequences for this iconic piece of American history and set a terrible precedent for heavy industrial development near our national parks.”

In total, QTS is aiming to develop around 11.3 million gross square feet (1.05 million sqm) of data center space, while Compass aims to develop up to 11.55 million sq ft (1.07 million sqm) of data center space. The project would total some 37 buildings at full build-out.

DCD visited the site back in 2022 ahead of the final vote and has spoken to both proponents and the opposing coalition about the large-scale project.

The project had been mired in controversy throughout its planning; residents who weren’t willing to sell decried the potential impact on the rural area, its proximity to a Civil War-era battlefield, and the potential environmental impacts of such a large development. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the project, and the coalition hosted an unanswered protest outside QTS’ existing Manassas data center.