Data center development in Northern Virginia, particularly in Loudoun County, is facing resistance from military history enthusiasts aiming to protect battlefield sites. Northern Virginia is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, but many available development sites are historically significant, including battlefields, according to Axios.
A recent report to Virginia lawmakers stated that data centers pose no greater risk to historic sites than other large-scale developments but suggested that pre-development studies could help reduce such risks. Preservationists, however, argue that data centers threaten these sites, citing the lack of legal protections.
American Battlefield Trust President David Duncan stated that further steps must be taken to preserve these sites, adding that “there are currently few legal protections in place to stop this impact. You can move a data center. You can’t move something like a battlefield,” Duncan tells Axios.
Opposition to data centers is growing nationwide due to concerns about their environmental impact, land use, noise, and aesthetics, according to Axios. However, data centers are also seen as essential for fueling technological advancements like AI. Specific controversial projects include Prince William County’s Digital Gateway, which could become one of the largest data center developments globally, near the Manassas National Battlefield, Inside Towers reported, and the Wilderness Crossing development near the Wilderness Battlefield, which has been added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s endangered list.
“We’re not opposed to data centers generally,” says Betsy Merritt, a National Trust for Historic Preservation lawyer. “We all need them. But it’s a matter of location, location, location.”
The other side: “This is Virginia, every inch of Virginia is historic for one reason or another. Those of us alive today have to continue to exist and live and build,” Orange County Board of Supervisors Chair Mark Johnson told The Daily Progress in May. “I’m not sure how many thousands of acres are necessary to memorialize a battlefield.”
Legal battles are ongoing. A lawsuit filed against the Prince William County Board and Digital Gateway developers was rejected, but appeals are underway. A similar lawsuit is also challenging the Wilderness Crossing project in Orange County. While preservationists emphasize the importance of location and transparency in development, proponents argue that Virginia’s historic significance shouldn’t halt progress. The outcome of these lawsuits could set a precedent for future data center developments in historically significant areas, notes Axios.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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