New 1,930-Acre Data Center Campus Proposal Emerges in Virginia's Prince William County December 18, 2025 Northern Virginia's status as the world's largest data center hub faces renewed scrutiny as another massive development plan is introduced. The proposal underscores the relentless demand for digital infrastructure but also reignites debates over land use, community impact, and regulatory processes in the region. A Warrenton-based lobbying and communications firm, LSI 360 (also known as LSI Communications), has filed an early-stage planning application for a proposed data center campus to be named the Dulles South Innovation Center. The application, filed on Tuesday, seeks to designate 1,930 acres of land in the Gainesville Magisterial District for industrial use, which would permit data centers, electrical substations, and related support facilities. The vast majority of the targeted land is currently zoned for agricultural use and features low-density residential development. The initial filing is for a cultural resource assessment, a standard preliminary step to identify any historic or archaeological resources on the property. Details regarding the project's specific scale, power capacity, or the county's formal review timeline were not immediately available. Applicant representative Kelly Bleichner and attorney Lee Gleason of Cooley, listed on the filing, did not promptly respond to requests for comment. The proposal arrives amid ongoing legal challenges to another colossal data center project in the county. LSI Communications has previously been reported as an advisor on land sales for the controversial Prince William Digital Gateway. That separate project, which envisioned up to 23 million square feet of data centers on 2,100 acres and an estimated $500 million in local tax revenue over 20 years, was approved by county supervisors in late 2023 but was later voided by a circuit court judge in August 2025 due to procedural deficiencies in public notification. The new Dulles South proposal highlights the intense pressure to convert rural land in Northern Virginia to support the booming cloud computing and AI industries. If advanced, it would significantly expand the county's data center footprint, bringing potential economic investment and tax revenue but also raising familiar concerns about energy consumption, environmental impact, and community character. The outcome will serve as a critical test for local policymakers balancing economic development against residential interests and procedural integrity. Source: virginiabusiness
New 1,930-Acre Data Center Campus Proposal Emerges in Virginia's Prince William County
